A Sanskrit word for counselor, filtered through Malay and Portuguese, became English's name for Chinese officials — and eventually a citrus fruit.
A high-ranking Chinese official, or the standard form of Chinese language, or a small citrus fruit with loose skin.
From Portuguese mandarim, from Malay menteri meaning minister or counselor, ultimately from Sanskrit mantrin meaning counselor, from mantra meaning counsel Key roots: mantra (Sanskrit: "counsel, sacred utterance").
The word for a Chinese official comes from Sanskrit via Malay via Portuguese — and has nothing to do with Chinese. Portuguese traders in Malacca heard Malay officials called menteri and applied the term to Chinese officials they encountered further east. The citrus fruit was named for the