Added 9 October 2026
mandarin
/ˈmæn.də.ɹɪn/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mandarin at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- 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.
- A member of an elite intellectual or cultural group.
- Any high government official or bureaucrat.
Origin
From Portuguese mandarim, mandarij, from Malay menteri, manteri, and its source, Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् (mantrin, “minister, councillor”), from मन्त्र (mantra, “counsel, maxim, mantra”) + -इन् (-in, an agent suffix).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)