mandarin

n. [ Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantrī minister of state, prop. a Hind. word, fr. Skr. mantrin a counselor, manira a counsel, man to think. ] 1. A Chinese public officer or nobleman; a civil or military official in China and Annam. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: A powerful government official or bureaucrat, especially one who is pedantic and has a strong sense of his own importance and privelege. [ PJC ]

3. Hence: A member of an influential, powerful or elite group, espcially within artistic or intellectual circles; -- used especially of elder members who are traditionalist or conservative about their specialties. [ PJC ]

5. The form of the Chinese language spoken by members of the Chinese Imperial Court an officials of the empire. [ PJC ]

6. Any of several closely related dialects of the Chinese language spoken by a mojority of the population of China, the standard variety of which is spoken in the region around Beijing. [ PJC ]

7. (Bot.) A small flattish reddish-orange loose-skinned orange, with an easily separable rind. It is thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species (Citrus reticulata formerly Citrus nobilis); called also mandarin orange and tangerine. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mandarin language, the spoken or colloquial language of educated people in China. --
Mandarin yellow (Chem.), an artificial aniline dyestuff used for coloring silk and wool, and regarded as a complex derivative of quinoline. [ 1913 Webster ]