GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

last match results

Found one definition

1.       
   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
   Hence: A powerful government official or bureaucrat, especially one who is pedantic and has a strong sense of his own importance and privelege.
   PJC
   Hence: 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
   (Bot.) 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.
   1913 Webster