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Definition of mandarin noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

mandarin

noun
 
/ˈmændərɪn/
 
/ˈmændərɪn/
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  1. [countable] a powerful official of high rank, especially in the civil service synonym bureaucrat
  2. [countable] a government official of high rank in China in the past
  3. Mandarin
     [uncountable] the standard form of Chinese, which is the official language of China
  4. (also mandarin orange)
     [countable] a type of small orange with loose skin that comes off easilyTopics Foodc2
    5. Word Originsenses 1 to 3 late 16th cent. (denoting a Chinese official): from Portuguese mandarim, via Malay from Hindi mantrī ‘counsellor’.sense 4 late 18th cent.: from French mandarine; perhaps related to mandarin ‘high-ranking Chinese official’, the colour of the fruit being similar to the official's yellow robes.
See mandarin in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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