Man`da*rin" (?), n. [Pg. mandarim, from Malay mantri 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.
2. Bot.
A small orange, with easily separable rind. It is thought to be of Chinese origin, and is counted a distinct species (Citrus nobilis)<-- also mandarin orange; tangerine -->.
Mandarin duck Zool., a beautiful Asiatic duck (Dendronessa galericulata), often domesticated, and regarded by the Chinese as an emblem of conjugal affection. -- 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.
© Webster 1913.