taipan
1
[ tahy-pan ]
/ ˈtaɪ pæn /
noun
(in China) the head or owner of a foreign business establishment.
Origin of taipan
1
1895–1900; < dialectal Chinese (compare Guangdong dial.
daaih-bāan), akin to Chinese
dàbǎn (
dà great +
bǎn company, class)
Words nearby taipan
Definition for taipan (2 of 2)
taipan
2
[ tahy-pan ]
/ ˈtaɪ pæn /
noun
a highly venomous elapid snake, Oxyuranus scutellatus, of New Guinea and northern Australia, that grows to a length of from 10 to 12 feet (3.1 to 3.7 meters).
Origin of taipan
2
1930–35; < Wik-Munkan (Australian Aboriginal language spoken around the Archer River, N Queensland), recorded as
tay-pan
Example sentences from the Web for taipan
I sought a Taipan, which means the head of an English trading firm.
From Sea to Sea |Rudyard KiplingHe was the biggest Taipan on the island, and quite the nicest.
From Sea to Sea |Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for taipan (1 of 2)
taipan
1
/ (ˈtaɪˌpæn) /
noun
a large highly venomous elapid snake, Oxyuranus scutellatus, of NE Australia
Word Origin for taipan
C20: from a native Australian language
British Dictionary definitions for taipan (2 of 2)
taipan
2
/ (ˈtaɪˌpæn) /
noun
the foreign head of a business in China
Word Origin for taipan
C19: from dialectal form of Chinese
tai great +
ban company, class