man·da·rin /ˈmænd ə rɪn/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ; Origin: mandarine , from Spanish mandarina , probably from mandarín ' ↑ mandarin 3 '; perhaps because mandarins wore orange-colored clothes. ]
[ Sense 2-3: Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Portuguese ; Origin: mandarim , from Malay menteri , from Sanskrit mantrin 'adviser' , from mantra ; ⇨ ↑ mantra ]
1 . ( also ˌmandarin ˈorange ) a kind of small orange with skin that is easy to remove
2 . British English an important government official who people think has too much power:
Civil Service mandarins
3 . an important government official in the former Chinese ↑ empire