mandarin

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the major group of Chinese varieties spoken across much of China, especially Standard Mandarin

   She studied Mandarin before beginning her research in Beijing.

2. 2
   noun

   a small, sweet citrus fruit with a loose orange skin

   He peeled a mandarin and divided it into segments.

3. 3
   noun

   historical: a high-ranking official in imperial China

   The provincial mandarin supervised tax collection on behalf of the emperor.

4. 4
   noun

   often disapproving: a powerful senior bureaucrat or an influential member of an intellectual or cultural elite

   The policy was shaped by a small circle of Whitehall mandarins.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Mandarin first entered English in the late 16th century through Portuguese as a title for a senior Chinese imperial official, ultimately from a Sanskrit term meaning ‘counsellor’ or ‘minister’. It was applied in English to the language of Chinese officials in 1728 and later became the name of standard Chinese. The fruit name first appeared in Swedish and entered English in 1771; it may refer either to officials’ robe colors or to the fruit’s high quality, but its precise motivation is uncertain.

Through Portuguese mandarim and Malay menteri from Sanskrit mantrin, 'counsellor or minister,' based on mantra, 'counsel.' English first used mandarin for an imperial Chinese official, then for the language associated with the administration. The citrus name arose from the fruit's resemblance in color to mandarins' robes.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary