I. ˈman-d(ə-)rən noun
Etymology: Portuguese mandarim, from Malay mĕntĕri, from Sanskrit mantrin counselor, from mantra counsel — more at mantra
Date: 1589
1.
a. : a public official in the Chinese Empire of any of nine superior grades
b.
(1) : a pedantic official
(2) : bureaucrat
c. : 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. capitalized
a. : 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
• man·da·rin·ic ˌman-də-ˈri-nik adjective
• man·da·rin·ism ˈman-d(ə-)rə-ˌni-zəm noun
II. adjective
Date: 1604
1. : of, relating to, or typical of a mandarin
mandarin graces
2. : marked by polished ornate complexity of language
mandarin prose