taipan
1[ tahy-pan ]
/ ˈtaɪ pæn /
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noun
(in China) the head or owner of a foreign business establishment.
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Origin of taipan
11895–1900; <dialectal Chinese (compare Guangdong dial. daaih-bāan), akin to Chinese dàbǎn (dà great + bǎn company, class)
Words nearby taipan
Definition for taipan (2 of 2)
taipan2
[ tahy-pan ]
/ ˈtaɪ pæn /
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).
Origin of taipan
2First recorded in 1930–35; from Wik-Munkan (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around the Archer River, northern Queensland), recorded as tay-pan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for taipan
He was the biggest Taipan on the island, and quite the nicest.
From Sea to Sea|Rudyard KiplingI sought a Taipan, which means the head of an English trading firm.
From Sea to Sea|Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for taipan (1 of 2)
taipan1
/ (ˈtaɪˌpæn) /
noun
a large highly venomous elapid snake, Oxyuranus scutellatus, of NE Australia
Word Origin for taipan
C20: from a native Australian language
British Dictionary definitions for taipan (2 of 2)
taipan2
/ (ˈtaɪˌpæn) /
noun
the foreign head of a business in China
Word Origin for taipan
C19: from dialectal form of Chinese tai great + ban company, class
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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