<B>mandarin, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an official of high rank under the Chinese Empire. There were nine ranks, distinguished by the color of a certain button worn on the cap. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person important in political or intellectual circles, who is usually elderly or conservative. <BR> <I>Ex. In their first week in office they have had some cool advice from the mandarins of British administration, the top civil servants (Anthony Lewis).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a small, sweet, spicy citrus fruit with a thin, orange-colored, very loose peel and segments that separate easily. <DD><B> 4. </B>the small tree or shrub it grows on. <DD><B> 5. </B>a bright, reddish-orange dye. <DD><I>adj. </I> of, or characteristic of, mandarins; especially intellectual and conservative. <BR> <I>Ex. a mandarin style, mandarin coteries. The future of Vietnam does not belong to a mandarin type of leadership (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mandarin">
<B>Mandarin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the main dialect of the Chinese language under the Manchu dynasty, spoken by officials and educated people. <DD><B> 2. </B>the chief Chinese dialect, spoken in northern China, especially the dialect of Peking. </DL>
<A NAME="mandarinate">
<B>mandarinate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the office or authority of a mandarin. <DD><B> 2. </B>mandarins as a group. <DD><B> 3. </B>government by mandarins. </DL>
<A NAME="mandarincoat">
<B>mandarin coat,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a woman's long, brocaded coat for evening wear, usually of silk, having slits on the sides, elbow-length sleeves, a mandarin collar, and fastened with frogs or buttons. It is patterned after the coats worn formerly by mandarins. </DL>
<A NAME="mandarincollar">
<B>mandarin collar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a narrow, turned-up collar of uniform width, with a slightly tapered split at the front. </DL>
<A NAME="mandarinduck">
<B>mandarin duck,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a crested duck with variegated plumage of purple, green, chestnut, and white, native to China, where it is a symbol of conjugal affection. </DL>
<A NAME="mandarinic">
<B>mandarinic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or characteristic of a mandarin. <BR> <I>Ex. The first business of any writer, especially of any critical writer, is not to be mandarinic and tedious (London Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mandarinism">
<B>mandarinism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the qualities or characteristics of mandarins, especially intellectualism or conservatism. <BR> <I>Ex. French literature as a whole has not fallen into mandarinism [but] has remained in close touch with life and society (Francis Steegmuller).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a mandarin style or form of expression. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the exquisite mandarinisms of the centuries-old Peking opera (Time).</I> </DL>
<B>mandatary, </B>noun, pl. <B>-taries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a nation to which a mandate over another country has been given. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) a person to whom a mandate is given. </DL>
<A NAME="mandate">
<B>mandate, </B>noun, verb, <B>-dated,</B> <B>-dating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a command or order. <BR> <I>Ex. a royal mandate. The mandate of God to His creature man is: Work! (Thomas Carlyle).</I> (SYN) edict, behest, injunction. <DD><B> 2. </B>an order from a higher court or official to a lower one. <BR> <I>Ex. Towards the close of Adams's term, Georgia had bid defiance to the mandates of the Supreme Court (Theodore Roosevelt).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a direction or authority given to a government by the votes of the people in an election. <BR> <I>Ex. After his election the governor said he had a mandate to increase taxes.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>a commission given to one nation by a group of nations to administer the government and affairs of a territory or colony. The system of mandates established after World War I was administered by the League of Nations. <BR> <I>Ex. The character of the Mandate must differ according to the stage of the development of the people (League of Nations Covenant).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>a mandated territory or colony. <DD><B> 6. </B>an order issued by the Pope stating that a certain person should be given a benefice. <DD><B> 7. </B>a contract in Roman and civil law, by which one person requests another to act for him gratuitously, agreeing to indemnify him against losses. <DD><B> 8. </B>any contract of agency. <DD><B> 9. </B>a command in ancient Rome from the emperor, especially to the governor of a province. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to put (a territory or colony) under the administration of another nation. <BR> <I>Ex. The result of the late war has been to eliminate Germany from the map, her territories being mandated to the British and other nations (Times Literary Supplement).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to order or require officially, make mandatory. </DL>
<A NAME="mandator">
<B>mandator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the giver of a mandate. </DL>
<A NAME="mandatory">
<B>mandatory, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>of or containing a mandate; giving a command or order. <BR> <I>Ex. a mandatory statement.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>required by a command or order. <BR> <I>Ex. a mandatory sentence for manslaughter.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>of, having to do with, or having received a mandate, as a nation commissioned to take care of a dependent territory. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>=mandatary.</B> adv. <B>mandatorily.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="manday">
<B>man-day, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one day of one man's work, used as a unit in figuring cost, time, or other constituent, of production. </DL>
<A NAME="mande">
<B>Mande, </B>noun, pl. <B>-de</B> or <B>-des,</B> adjective. <B>=Mandingo.</B></DL>
<B>mandible, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an organ in insects for seizing and biting. <BR> <I>Ex. The ant seized the dead fly with its mandibles.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>either part of a bird's beak. <DD><B> 3. </B>a jaw, especially the lower jaw. </DL>
<A NAME="mandibular">
<B>mandibular, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of, having to do with, or like a mandible. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>=mandible </B>(def. 3). </DL>
<A NAME="mandibulate">
<B>mandibulate, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>having a mandible or mandibles; having jaws, as most animals. <DD><B> 2. </B>adapted for chewing. <DD><I>noun </I> a mandibulate insect. </DL>
<A NAME="mandingan">
<B>Mandingan, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with the Mandingo or their language. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B><B>=Mandingo.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>the language of the Mandingo. </DL>
<A NAME="mandingo">
<B>Mandingo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-go,</B> <B>-gos,</B> or <B>-goes,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a member of a group of Negro peoples forming a linguistic group in western Africa. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of the languages spoken by these peoples, forming a branch of the Niger-Congo language group. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with the Mandingo or their languages. </DL>
<A NAME="mandinka">
<B>Mandinka, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ka</B> or <B>-kas.</B> <B>=Malinke.</B></DL>
<A NAME="mandioca">
<B>mandioca, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the edible root of the manioc, a staple starch foodstuff of tropical South America. <DD><B> 2. </B>the manioc or cassava plant. </DL>
<A NAME="mandola">
<B>mandola, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small lute of the 1600's and 1700's with a slightly curved handle where the tuning pegs were placed. </DL>
<A NAME="mandolin">
<B>mandolin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a musical instrument with a pear-shaped body. It has four to six pairs of metal strings played with a pick, and a fretted neck. </DL>
<A NAME="mandolinist">
<B>mandolinist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a player on the mandolin. </DL>
<A NAME="mandorla">
<B>mandorla, </B>noun, pl. <B>-las,</B> (Italian) <B>-le.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an almond-shaped or pointed oval panel, space, or piece, used as decoration. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=vesica piscis.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mandragora">
<B>mandragora, </B>noun. <B>=mandrake.</B></DL>
<A NAME="mandrake">
<B>mandrake, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a poisonous herb having a very short stem and a thick, often forked root thought to resemble the human form. There are several kinds all belonging to the nightshade family and native to southern Europe and Asia. The mandrake was formerly used in medicine because of its emetic and narcotic properties. <DD><B> 2. </B>the root, supposed in legend to cry out when pulled up from the ground. Eating the root was believed to aid in conceiving a child. <BR> <I>Ex. And shrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S.) the May apple. </DL>
<A NAME="mandrel">
<B>mandrel</B> or <B>mandril, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a spindle or bar of a lathe that supports the material being turned. <DD><B> 2. </B>a rod or core around which metal or other material is shaped. </DL>
<A NAME="mandrill">
<B>mandrill, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a large, fierce baboon of western Africa. The face of the male mandrill is marked with blue and scarlet. </DL>
<A NAME="mandtsguillemot">
<B>Mandt's guillemot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a variety of guillemot that lives in the arctic regions of America. </DL>
<A NAME="mane">
<B>mane, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the long, heavy hair on the back of or around the neck of a horse, lion, and certain other animals. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person's hair when long and thick. </DL>
<A NAME="maneater">
<B>man-eater, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=cannibal.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a lion, tiger, shark, or other animal that attacks or is supposed to attack human beings for food. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>a woman who is very aggressive toward men. <BR> <I>Ex. He is half-heartedly fighting off the advances of a man-eater named Margaret (Time).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>any very aggressive person. <BR> <I>Ex. a corporate man-eater.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maneating">
<B>man-eating, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>eating or devouring human beings. <BR> <I>Ex. a man-eating shark.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) that is a man-eater; very aggressive. <BR> <I>Ex. a man-eating woman, a man-eating politician.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maneb">
<B>maneb, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an organic brown powder used as a fungicide on the leaves of fruit trees, vegetables, and cereal grasses. </DL>
<A NAME="maned">
<B>maned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a mane. <BR> <I>Ex. a maned animal.</I> </DL>
