mandarin

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: man=da=rin

CIDE DICTIONARY

mandarin, n. [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantrī minister of state, prop. a Hind. word, fr. Skr. mantrin a counselor, manira a counsel, man to think.].

•  A Chinese public officer or nobleman; a civil or military official in China and Annam.  [1913 Webster]
•  A powerful government official or bureaucrat, especially one who is pedantic and has a strong sense of his own importance and privelege.  [PJC]
•  A member of an influential, powerful or elite group, espcially within artistic or intellectual circles; -- used especially of elder members who are traditionalist or conservative about their specialties.  [PJC]
•  The form of the Chinese language spoken by members of the Chinese Imperial Court an officials of the empire.  [PJC]
•  Any of several closely related dialects of the Chinese language spoken by a mojority of the population of China, the standard variety of which is spoken in the region around Beijing.  [PJC]
•  A small flattish reddish-orange loose-skinned orange, with an easily separable rind. It is thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species (Citrus reticulata formerly Citrus nobilis); called also mandarin orange and tangerine.  [1913 Webster]

Mandarin language, the spoken or colloquial language of educated people in China. -- Mandarin yellow (Chem.), an artificial aniline dyestuff used for coloring silk and wool, and regarded as a complex derivative of quinoline.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mandarin, n.
1 (Mandarin) the most widely spoken form of Chinese and the official language of China.
2 hist. a Chinese official in any of nine grades of the pre-Communist civil service.
3 a a party leader; a bureaucrat. b a powerful member of the establishment.
4 a a nodding Chinese figure, usu. of porcelain. b porcelain etc. decorated with Chinese figures in mandarin dress.

Idiom

mandarin collar a small close-fitting upright collar. mandarin duck a small Chinese duck, Aix galericulata, noted for its bright plumage. mandarin sleeve a wide loose sleeve.

Derivative

mandarinate n.

mandarin, n. (also mandarine) (in full mandarin orange)
1 a small flattish deep-coloured orange with a loose skin.
2 the tree, Citrus reticulata, yielding this. Also called TANGERINE.

Etymology

F mandarine (perh. as MANDARIN(1), with ref. to the official's yellow robes)

THESAURUS

mandarin

Brahmin, authority, brainworker, bureaucrat, civil servant, doctor, egghead, elder, elder statesman, elitist, functionary, functionnaire, great soul, guru, highbrow, illuminate, intellect, intellectual, intellectualist, jack-in-office, literate, lover of wisdom, mahatma, man of intellect, man of wisdom, master, mastermind, mentor, name-dropper, office-bearer, officeholder, officer, official, officiary, oracle, petty tyrant, philosopher, placeman, prig, public official, public servant, rabbi, red-tapist, rishi, sage, sapient, savant, scholar, seer, snob, starets, thinker, tufthunter, white-collar intellectual, wise man, wise old man

ROGET THESAURUS

mandarin

Master

N master, padrone, lord, lord paramount, commander, commandant, captain, chief, chieftain, sirdar, sachem, sheik, head, senior, governor, ruler, dictator, leader, boss, cockarouse, sagamore, werowance, lord of the ascendant, cock of the walk, cock of the roost, gray mare, mistress, potentate, liege, liege lord, suzerain, sovereign, monarch, autocrat, despot, tyrant, oligarch, crowned head, emperor, king, anointed king, majesty, imperator, protector, president, stadholder, judge, ceasar, kaiser, czar, tsar, sultan, soldan, grand Turk, caliph, imaum, shah, padishah, sophi, mogul, great mogul, khan, lama, tycoon, mikado, tenno, inca, cazique, voivode, landamman, seyyid, Abuna, cacique, czarowitz, grand seignior, prince, duke, archduke, doge, elector, seignior, marland, margrave, rajah, emir, wali, sheik nizam, nawab, empress, queen, sultana, czarina, princess, infanta, duchess, margravine, czarevna, czarita, maharani, rani, rectrix, regent, viceroy, exarch, palatine, khedive, hospodar, beglerbeg, three-tailed bashaw, pasha, bashaw, bey, beg, dey, scherif, tetrarch, satrap, mandarin, subahdar, nabob, maharajah, burgrave, laird, collector, commissioner, deputy commissioner, woon, the authorities, the powers that be, the government, staff, etat major, aga, official, man in office, person in authority, sircar, sirkar, Sublime Porte, marshal, field marshal, marechal, general, generalissimo, commander in chief, seraskier, hetman, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, centurion, skipper, lieutenant, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, sublieutenant, officer, staff officer, aide-de-camp, brigadier, brigade major, adjutant, jemidar, ensign, cornet, cadet, subaltern, noncommissioned officer, warrant officer, sergeant, sergeant major, color sergeant, corporal, corporal major, lance corporal, acting corporal, drum major, captain general, dizdar, knight marshal, naik, pendragon, mayor, mayoralty, prefect, chancellor, archon, provost, magistrate, syndic, alcalde, alcaid, burgomaster, corregidor, seneschal, alderman, councilman, committeeman, councilwoman, warden, constable, portreeve, lord mayor, officer, dewan, fonctionnaire, admiral, admiralty, rear admiral, vice admiral, port admiral, commodore, captain, commander, lieutenant, ensign, skipper, mate, master, officer of the day, OD, navarch, da locum melioribus, der Furst ist der erste Diener seines Staats, the prince is the first servant of his state, lord of thy presence and no land beside.