mandarino

mandarin

noun mahn-dah-REE-noh Rare

Origin: Via Portuguese mandarim from Malay mantri, from Sanskrit mantrin (counsellor) — the fruit named for its orange colour resembling the robes of Chinese officials.

Also means

tangerine; Mandarin (Chinese dialect)

Usage Note

Mandarino is masculine and refers to both the citrus fruit and, capitalised, the Mandarin dialect of Chinese (il Mandarino). As a historical term it also means a Chinese imperial official. The plural i mandarini is regular. Do not confuse with mandarancio (clementine cross).

Examples

"Ho mangiato tre mandarini a colazione."

Natural Translation

I ate three mandarins at breakfast.

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