panjandrum

[ pan-jan-druhm ]

See synonyms for panjandrum on Thesaurus.com

noun

a self-important or pretentious official.

Origin of panjandrum

1745–55; pseudo-Latin word (based on pan-) coined by Samuel Foote (1720–77), English dramatist and actor

Words Nearby panjandrum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use panjandrum in a sentence

He and his scheme were referred to me, the panjandrum being graciously pleased to be unable to make head or tail of it.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce
panjandrum, pan-jan′drum, n. an imaginary figure of great power and importance, a burlesque potentate.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) | Various
When he was here before, teachin' singin' school, he wasn't such a Grand panjandrum.
Fair Harbor | Joseph Crosby Lincoln
Do you mean to say that you actually don't even know where the land of the Grand panjandrum is?
The Mysterious Shin Shira | George Edward Farrow
Let them know that their great panjandrum has got to go too, to make room for the Future of the Proletariat.
The Secret Agent | Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for panjandrum

panjandrum

/ (pænˈdʒændrəm) /

noun

a pompous self-important official or person of rank

Origin of panjandrum

C18: after a character, the Grand Panjandrum, in a nonsense work (1755) by Samuel Foote, English playwright and actor

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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