panjandrum
/pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.31 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An important, powerful or influential person; muckamuck.
noun
A self-important or pretentious person.
noun
A massive, rocket-propelled, explosive-laden cart designed by the British military during World War II.
Example Sentences
- "1755, Samuel Foote, The Grand Panjandrum (a nonsense poem written to test actor Charles Macklin's claim that he could accurately recite any paragraph of text after a single reading), So he died, / and she very imprudently married the Barber: / and there were present / the Picninnies, / and the Joblillies, / and the Garyulies, / and the grand Panjandrum himself, / with the little round button at top;"
- "1910, Eliakim Littell, Making of America Project, Robert S. Littell, Living age ... (Littell's Living Age), Volume 265, page 809, I think it's an excellent thing that the Great Panjandrum is coming for the week-end. Have you ever met him in private?" I ought to explain that the Great Panjandrum was the nickname for Lord Elkindale, the then Foreign Secretary."
- "But my family has served the Panjandrums of Beotia faithfully for seven centuries. The Panjandrums have kept our place for us at their courts, honored us, promoted us, shed their glory on us, made us what we are."
- "The territory I had sold him was largely occupied by the Duke of Oklahoma, and, no doubt, by other potentates and panjandrums unknown to me."
- "His Jerusalem visit helped him refine his unique hybrid mystique as a Tory aristocrat and exotic Jewish panjandrum, convinced him that Britain had a role in the Middle East—and let him dream of a return to Zion."
- "To show that the panjandrums are worthy of their glory, the annual report has to show how well the business has done, regardless of the actual results."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/
- British English: /pænˈd͡ʒæn.dɹəm/