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taipan
1[ tahy-pan ]
noun
- (in China) the head or owner of a foreign business establishment.
taipan
2[ tahy-pan ]
noun
- a highly venomous elapid snake, Oxyuranus scutellatus, of New Guinea and northern Australia, that grows to a length of from 10 to 12 feet (3.1 to 3.7 meters).
taipan
1/ ˈtaɪˌpæn /
noun
- the foreign head of a business in China
taipan
2/ ˈtaɪˌpæn /
noun
- a large highly venomous elapid snake, Oxyuranus scutellatus, of NE Australia
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Word History and Origins
Origin of taipan1
1895–1900; < dialectal Chinese (compare Guangdong dial. daaih-bāan ), akin to Chinese dàbǎn ( dà great + bǎn company, class)
Origin of taipan2
First recorded in 1930–35; from Wik-Munkan (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around the Archer River, northern Queensland), recorded as tay-pan
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Word History and Origins
Origin of taipan1
C19: from dialectal form of Chinese tai great + ban company, class
Origin of taipan2
C20: from a native Australian language
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Example Sentences
He was the biggest Taipan on the island, and quite the nicest.
From Project Gutenberg
I sought a Taipan, which means the head of an English trading firm.
From Project Gutenberg
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