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definitions

taipan

1
[ tahy-pan ]
/ ˈtaɪ pæn /
|

noun

(in China) the head or owner of a foreign business establishment.

Nearby words

  1. taine, hippolyte adolphe,
  2. taino,
  3. taint,
  4. taintless,
  5. taintlessly,
  6. taipei,
  7. taiping,
  8. taiping rebellion,
  9. taira,
  10. taisho

Origin of taipan

1
1895–1900; < dialectal Chinese (compare Guangdong dial. daaih-bāan), akin to Chinese dàbǎn (dà great + bǎn company, class)

Definition for taipan (2 of 2)

taipan

2
[ 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

2
1930–35; < Wik-Munkan (Australian Aboriginal language spoken around the Archer River, N Queensland), recorded as tay-pan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for taipan

  • I sought a Taipan, which means the head of an English trading firm.

    From Sea to Sea|Rudyard Kipling

  • He was the biggest Taipan on the island, and quite the nicest.

    From Sea to Sea|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for taipan (1 of 2)

taipan

1
/ (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)

taipan

2
/ (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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012