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Definition mandarin

Etymology 1

From Portuguese mandarim, mandarij, from Malay menteri, manteri, and its source, Sanskrit ????????? (mantrin, “minister, councillor”), from ?????? (mantra, “counsel, maxim, mantra”) + -??? (-in, an agent suffix).

Chinese folk etymology sometimes erroneously claims that the word originates from ??? (M?ndàrén, literally “Manchu important man”).

Noun

mandarin (plural mandarins)

1. (historical) a high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire [from 1580s]
2. a pedantic or elitist bureaucrat
3. (often derogatory) a pedantic senior person of influence in academia or literary circles
4. (ornithology) Ellipsis of mandarin duck
5. (informal, Britain) a senior civil servant

Adjective

mandarin (comparative more mandarin, superlative most mandarin)

1. pertaining to or reminiscent of mandarins; deliberately superior or complex; esoteric, highbrow, obscurantist [from 20th c.]

Etymology 2

From French mandarine, feminine of mandarin, probably formed as Etymology 1, above, from the yellow colour of the mandarins' costume.

Noun

mandarin (plural mandarins)

1. Ellipsis of mandarin orange:
   1. a small, sweet citrus fruit
   2. tree of species Citrus reticulata
2. (color) an orange colour

Results 139 Words with the letters MANDARIN

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