/mi kah"doh/ , n. , pl. mikados .
1. ( sometimes cap. ) a title of the emperor of Japan.
2. ( cap., italics ) an operetta (1885) by Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan.
3. ( cap. ) a steam locomotive having a two-wheeled front truck, eight driving wheels, and a two-wheeled rear truck. See table under Whyte classification .
[ 1720-30; mi- exalted + kado gate, door (of the imperial palace) ]