Wiktionary

mandarin

See also: Mandarin and mandarín

English

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WOTD – 19 March 2009

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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). In Chinese folk etymology, the word originates from Mandarin 滿大人／满大人 (Mǎndàrén, literally “Manchu important man”).

Noun

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mandarin (plural mandarins)

  1. (historical) A high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire. [from 1580s]
    • 1991, Chris Mullin, The Year of the Fire Monkey‎[1] (Fiction), London: Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 252:
      LIKE THE MANDARINS of old, the rulers of China live behind high walls. When they emerge, which they rarely do, they travel in cars with rear windows curtained like sedan chairs.
      They live in the Chung Nan Hai, a walled park adjacent to the Forbidden City from where ancient dynasties ruled the Celestial Empire.
  2. A pedantic or elitist bureaucrat.
  3. (sometimes derogatory) A pedantic senior person of influence in academia or literary circles.
    • 1966 April 22, “The Beauty of His Malice”, in Time‎[2], archived from the original on 2012-11-06:
      Its sting preserved to literature a fierce peculiar genius [Waugh] who, in the 40 years before his death last week at 62, achieved recognition as the grand old mandarin of modern British prose and as a satirist whose skill at sticking pens in people rates him a roomy cell in the murderers’ row (Swift, Pope, Wilde, Shaw) of English letters.
    • 2021 June 23, Peter S. Canellos, “Why The ‘Trump Court’ Won’t Be Like Trump”, in Politico:
      When mandarins on the court pointed to obscure language in the Constitution to overturn a century of precedent and declare the income tax unconstitutional, Harlan sided with precedent[.]
    • 2024 January 13, Boyd Tonkin, “The culture of copyright creep”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 9:
      When institutional mandarins such as this eminent pair set out to undermine the traditional basis for remunerating the products of the mind, you might expect a lowly scribe (such as your reviewer) to take umbrage.
  4. (ornithology) Ellipsis of mandarin duck.
  5. (informal, British) A senior civil servant.
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Irish: mandairín
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

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mandarin (comparative more mandarin, superlative most mandarin)

  1. Pertaining to or reminiscent of mandarins; deliberately superior or complex; esoteric, highbrow, obscurantist. [from 20th c.]
    • 1979, John Le Carré, Smiley's People, Folio Society, published 2010, page 58:
      A mandarin impassivity had descended over Smiley's face. The earlier emotion was quite gone.
    • 1997, Henry Louis Gates Jr., “The Passing of Anatole Broyard”, in Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man, New York: Random House, pages 180–181:
      [Anatole] Broyard's columns were suffused with both worldliness and high culture. Wry, mandarin, even self-amused at times, he wrote like a man about town, but one who just happened to have all of Western literature at his fingertips.
    • 2007, Marina Warner, “Doubly Damned”, in London Review of Books, 29:3, p. 26:
      Though alert to riddles' strong roots in vernacular narrative, Cook's tastes are mandarin, and she gives a loving account of Wallace Stevens's meditations on the life of poetic images and simile […] .

Etymology 2

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From French mandarine, feminine of mandarin, probably formed as Etymology 1, above, from the yellow colour of the mandarins' costume.

Noun

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mandarin (plural mandarins)

  1. Ellipsis of mandarin orange.:
    1. A small, sweet citrus fruit.
    2. A tree of the species Citrus reticulata.
  2. An orange colour.
    mandarin:  
Hypernyms
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Translations
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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Crimean Tatar

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Spanish mandarín.

Noun

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mandarin

  1. mandarin (fruit)

Declension

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Declension of mandarin
singular plural
nominative mandarin mandarinler
genitive mandarinniñ mandarinlerniñ
dative mandaringe mandarinlerge
accusative mandarinni mandarinlerni
locative mandarinde mandarinlerde
ablative mandarinden mandarinlerden

References

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  • Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[3], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Danish

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Etymology

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From Portuguese mandarim.

Noun

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mandarin c (singular definite mandarinen, plural indefinite mandariner)

  1. mandarin (Chinese Imperial bureaucrat)
  2. mandarin orange, mandarin (a small, sweet citrus fruit)

Inflection

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Declension of mandarin
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative mandarin mandarinen mandariner mandarinerne
genitive mandarins mandarinens mandariners mandarinernes

Noun

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mandarin n

  1. Mandarin

References

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Faroese

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Etymology

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From Danish mandarin, from Dutch mandorijn or Portuguese mandarim, mandarij, from Malay menteri, manteri, from Hindi मन्त्रि (mantri), from Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् (mantrin, “minister, councillor”), from मन्त्र (mantra, “counsel, maxim, mantra”) + -इन् (-in, “an agent suffix”).

Noun

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mandarin f (genitive singular mandarinar, plural mandarinir)

  1. mandarin orange, mandarin (a small, sweet citrus fruit)

Declension

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Declension of mandarin
f2 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative mandarin mandarinin mandarinir mandarinirnar
accusative mandarin mandarinina mandarinir mandarinirnar
dative mandarin mandarinini mandarinum mandarinunum
genitive mandarinar mandarinarinnar mandarina mandarinanna

Noun

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mandarin n (genitive singular mandarins)

  1. Mandarin

Declension

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Singular
Indefinite
Nominative mandarin
Accusative mandarin
Dative mandarini
Genitive mandarins

See also

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French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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mandarin (feminine mandarine, masculine plural mandarins, feminine plural mandarines)

  1. mandarin (of the former Chinese empire)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Noun

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mandarin m (uncountable)

  1. Mandarin (language)

Further reading

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Hungarian

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 mandarin on Hungarian Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈmɒndɒrin]
  • Hyphenation: man‧da‧rin
  • Rhymes: -in

Etymology 1

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Internationalism mainly via German, originally from Portuguese mandarim, mandarij, from Malay menteri, manteri.[1]

Noun

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mandarin (countable and uncountable, plural mandarinok)

  1. (historical) mandarin
  2. Mandarin (language)
Declension
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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative mandarin mandarinok
accusative mandarint mandarinokat
dative mandarinnak mandarinoknak
instrumental mandarinnal mandarinokkal
causal-final mandarinért mandarinokért
translative mandarinná mandarinokká
terminative mandarinig mandarinokig
essive-formal mandarinként mandarinokként
essive-modal — —
inessive mandarinban mandarinokban
superessive mandarinon mandarinokon
adessive mandarinnál mandarinoknál
illative mandarinba mandarinokba
sublative mandarinra mandarinokra
allative mandarinhoz mandarinokhoz
elative mandarinból mandarinokból
delative mandarinról mandarinokról
ablative mandarintól mandarinoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		mandariné mandarinoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		mandarinéi mandarinokéi
Possessive forms of mandarin
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. mandarinom mandarinjaim
2nd person sing. mandarinod mandarinjaid
3rd person sing. mandarinja mandarinjai
1st person plural mandarinunk mandarinjaink
2nd person plural mandarinotok mandarinjaitok
3rd person plural mandarinjuk mandarinjaik

Etymology 2

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Internationalism mainly via German, probably formed as Etymology 1, above, from the yellow colour of the mandarins' costume.

Noun

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mandarin (plural mandarinok)

  1. mandarin, mandarin orange (fruit)
Declension
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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative mandarin mandarinok
accusative mandarint mandarinokat
dative mandarinnak mandarinoknak
instrumental mandarinnal mandarinokkal
causal-final mandarinért mandarinokért
translative mandarinná mandarinokká
terminative mandarinig mandarinokig
essive-formal mandarinként mandarinokként
essive-modal — —
inessive mandarinban mandarinokban
superessive mandarinon mandarinokon
adessive mandarinnál mandarinoknál
illative mandarinba mandarinokba
sublative mandarinra mandarinokra
allative mandarinhoz mandarinokhoz
elative mandarinból mandarinokból
delative mandarinról mandarinokról
ablative mandarintól mandarinoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		mandariné mandarinoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		mandarinéi mandarinokéi
Possessive forms of mandarin
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. mandarinom mandarinjaim
2nd person sing. mandarinod mandarinjaid
3rd person sing. mandarinja mandarinjai
1st person plural mandarinunk mandarinjaink
2nd person plural mandarinotok mandarinjaitok
3rd person plural mandarinjuk mandarinjaik

References

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  1. ^ mandarin in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN.  (See also its 2nd edition.)

Further reading

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  • (Chinese government bureaucrat): mandarin in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • (mandarin orange): mandarin in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Indonesian

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Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [manˈdarɪn]
  • Hyphenation: man‧da‧rin

Etymology 1

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From Portuguese mandarim (“mandarin”), from Malay menteri (“minister”), from Sanskrit मन्त्री (mantrī, “minister”). Doublet of manti, mantri, and menteri.

Noun

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mandarin (first-person possessive mandarinku, second-person possessive mandarinmu, third-person possessive mandarinnya)

  1. mandarin,
    1. (historical) a high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire [from 1580s].
    2. Mandarin, the language of those official, which is the official language of China and Taiwan.

Etymology 2

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From English mandarin (“mandarin orange”), from French mandarine, feminine of mandarin, probably formed as Etymology 1, above, from the yellow colour of the mandarins' costume.

Noun

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mandarin (first-person possessive mandarinku, second-person possessive mandarinmu, third-person possessive mandarinnya)

  1. mandarin orange

Further reading

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Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no
 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no
 
Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

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From Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् (mantrin, “minister, councillor”), Malay menteri, manteri, and Portuguese mandarim.

Noun

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mandarin m (definite singular mandarinen, indefinite plural mandariner, definite plural mandarinene)

  1. (uncountable) Mandarin (official language in China)
  2. a mandarin ((formerly) a Chinese official; (now) a bureaucrat)
  3. (fruit) a mandarin or mandarin orange

References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn
 
Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology

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From Sanskrit मन्त्रिन् (mantrin, “minister, councillor”), Malay menteri, manteri, and Portuguese mandarim.

Noun

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mandarin m (definite singular mandarinen, indefinite plural mandarinar, definite plural mandarinane)

  1. (uncountable) Mandarin (official language in China)
  2. a mandarin ((formerly) a Chinese official; (now) a bureaucrat)
  3. (fruit) a mandarin or mandarin orange

References

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French mandarin.

Noun

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mandarin m (plural mandarini)

  1. mandarin

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative mandarin mandarinul mandarini mandarinii
genitive-dative mandarin mandarinului mandarini mandarinilor
vocative mandarinule mandarinilor

Serbo-Croatian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /mandǎriːn/
  • Hyphenation: man‧da‧rin

Noun

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mandàrīn m (Cyrillic spelling манда̀рӣн)

  1. mandarin (Chinese Imperial bureaucrat)

Declension

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Declension of mandarin
singular plural
nominative mandàrīn mandarini
genitive mandarína mandarina
dative mandarinu mandarinima
accusative mandarina mandarine
vocative mandarine mandarini
locative mandarinu mandarinima
instrumental mandarinom mandarinima

Swedish

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Etymology

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From Portuguese mandarim.

Noun

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mandarin c or n

  1. (common) mandarin orange
  2. (common, historical) mandarin; a high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire.
  3. (uncountable, neuter) Mandarin

Declension

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Declension of mandarin
nominative genitive
singular indefinite mandarin mandarins
definite mandarinen mandarinens
plural indefinite mandariner mandariners
definite mandarinerna mandarinernas
Declension of mandarin 3
nominative genitive
singular indefinite mandarin mandarins
definite mandarinet mandarinets
plural indefinite — —
definite — —

Derived terms

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References

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