mandarin
(in the Chinese Empire) a member of any of the nine ranks of public officials, each distinguished by a particular kind of button worn on the cap.
(initial capital letter) the standard Chinese language.
(initial capital letter) a northern Chinese dialect, especially as spoken in and around Beijing.
a small, spiny citrus tree, Citrus reticulata, native to China, bearing lance-shaped leaves and flattish, orange-yellow to deep-orange loose-skinned fruit, some varieties of which are called tangerines.
any of several plants belonging to the genus Disporum or Streptopus, of the lily family, as S. roseus(rose mandarin ) or D. lanuginosum(yellow mandarin ), having drooping flowers and red berries.
an influential or powerful government official or bureaucrat.
a member of an elite or powerful group or class, as in intellectual or cultural milieus: the mandarins of the art world.
of or relating to a mandarin or mandarins.
elegantly refined, as in language or taste.
Origin of mandarin
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mandarin in a sentence
But they are not the only qualities worth having, and the things that mandarins know are not the only things worth knowing.
As I say, the mandarins are in many senses deserving: they work very hard, and they are very smart.
Republican mandarins will likely tug on their beards and call for Gingrich to exit the race.
Romney’s Dixie Debacle in Mississippi and Alabama Primaries | Paul Begala | March 14, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTChampagne Royale Take the most delicious fruit in season, such as blood orange, ripe pears or mandarins.
The mandarins and soldiers fled, leaving the city occupied by only a few coolies.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
He is also attended by mandarins, and his mother and aunt are kept with him out of respect.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de BuffonThe handsomest women are usually purchased for the courts and principal mandarins.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II | Francis Augustus CoxHis loss was a very considerable one, for, as Gordon said, "he managed both the force and the mandarins very ably."
The Life of Gordon, Volume I | Demetrius Charles BoulgerMany Chinese mandarins knew much and many things—beautifully.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind | Herbert George Wells
British Dictionary definitions for mandarin
/ (ˈmændərɪn) /
(in the Chinese Empire) a member of any of the nine senior grades of the bureaucracy, entered by examinations
a high-ranking official whose powers are extensive and thought to be outside political control
a person of standing and influence, as in literary or intellectual circles
a small citrus tree, Citrus nobilis, cultivated for its edible fruit
the fruit of this tree, resembling the tangerine
Origin of mandarin
1Derived forms of mandarin
- mandarinate, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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