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- DictionaryPan·jan·drum/ˌpanˈjandr(ə)m/
noun
- 1. a person who has or claims to have a great deal of authority or influence: "the greatest scientific panjandrum of the 19th century"
: a powerful personage or pretentious official. Did you know? Panjandrum looks like it might be a combination of Latin and Greek roots, but in fact it is a nonsense word coined by British actor and playwright Samuel Foote around 1755.
Panjandrum definition: a self-important or pretentious official.. See examples of PANJANDRUM used in a sentence.
Something about the word panjandrum suggests subcontinental origin, but it's actually a made-up word from the eighteenth century, designating an important and often overbearing person. The word was also commandeered in World War II to refer to a failed experimental weapon meant to breach sea walls.
Jun 8, 2024 · a pompous self-important official or person of rank. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. C18: after a character, the Grand Panjandrum, in a nonsense work (1755) by Samuel Foote, English playwright and actor. Word Frequency.
Jun 2, 2024 · A self-important or pretentious person. ( military) A massive, rocket -propelled, explosive -laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
Define panjandrum. panjandrum synonyms, panjandrum pronunciation, panjandrum translation, English dictionary definition of panjandrum. n. An important or self-important person: "a panjandrum of the publishing business" .
A complete guide to the word "PANJANDRUM": definitions, pronunciations, synonyms, grammar insights, collocations, examples, and translations.
Panjandrum Definition. A self-important, pompous official. (military) A massive, rocket -propelled, explosive -laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun panjandrum. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
A person who has or claims to have a great deal of authority or influence. The word comes from Grand Panjandrum, an invented phrase in a nonsense passage composed in 1755 by the English actor and dramatist Samuel Foote (1720–77) to test the vaunted memory of the actor Charles Macklin (1697?–1797).
