mandarin
n 1: shrub or small tree having flattened globose fruit with
very sweet aromatic pulp and thin yellow-orange to flame-
orange rind that is loose and easily removed; native to
southeastern Asia [syn: mandarin, mandarin orange,
mandarin orange tree, Citrus reticulata]
2: a member of an elite intellectual or cultural group
3: any high government official or bureaucrat
4: a high public official of imperial China
5: a somewhat flat reddish-orange loose skinned citrus of China
[syn: mandarin, mandarin orange]
6: the dialect of Chinese spoken in Beijing and adopted as the
official language for all of China [syn: Mandarin,
Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin dialect, Beijing dialect]
mandarin
"Chinese official," 1589, via Port. mandarim or Du. mandorijn from
Malay mantri, from Hindi mantri "councilor, minister of state," from
Skt. mantri, nom. of mantrin- "advisor," from mantra "counsel," from
PIE base *men- "to think" (see mind). Form infl. in Port. by mandar
"to command, order." Used generically for the several grades of Chinese
officials; sense of "chief dialect of Chinese" (spoken by officials and
educated people) is from 1604. The type of small, deep-colored orange
so called from 1771, from resemblance of its color to that of robes worn
by mandarins.
mandarin I. nounEtymology: Portuguese mandarim, from Malay mĕntĕri,
from Sanskrit mantrin counselor, from mantra counsel — more
at mantraDate: 1589 1.a. a public official in the Chinese Empire of any of nine superior
grades b.(1) a pedantic official (2)bureaucratc. a person of position and influence often in intellectual or
literary circles; especially an elder and often traditionalist or
reactionary member of such a circle 2.capitalizeda. a form of spoken Chinese used by the court and the official
classes of the Empire b. the group of closely related Chinese
dialects that are spoken in about four fifths of the country and have a
standard variety centering about Beijing
3. [Swedish mandarin (apelsin) mandarin (orange),
ultimately from Portuguese mandarim mandarin; perhaps from the color
of a mandarin's robes] a. a small spiny orange tree (Citrus
reticulata) of southeastern Asia with yellow to reddish-orange
loose-rinded fruits; also a tree (as the satsuma) developed in
cultivation from the mandarin by artificial selection or hybridization
b. the fruit of a mandarin
• mandarinicadjective • mandarinismnounII. adjectiveDate: 1604 1. of, relating to,
or typical of a mandarin <mandarin graces> 2. marked
by polished ornate complexity of language <mandarin prose>
mandarin 1. 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. Phrases and idioms: 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. Derivatives: mandarinate n. Etymology: Port. mandarim f. Malay f. Hindi mantri f. Skr. mantrin counsellor 2. 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)
Mandarin
the name given by foreigners, derived from the Portuguese,
signifying to "command," to Chinese official functionaries, of which
there are some nine orders, distinguished by the buttons on their caps,
and they are appointed chiefly for their possession of the requisite
qualifications for the office they aspire to.
Mandarin \Man`da*rin"\, n. [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantr[=i]
minister of state, prop. a Hind. word, fr. Skr. mantrin a
counselor, manira a counsel, man to think.]
1. A Chinese public officer or nobleman; a civil or military
official in China and Annam.
2. (Bot.) A small orange, with easily separable rind. It is
thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct
species ({Citrus nobilis})
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