Mikado
//mɪˈkɑːdəʊ// name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A former title of the emperors of Japan during a certain period. countable, uncountable
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of mikado (“emperor of Japan”). alt-of
- 3 the emperor of Japan; when regarded as a religious leader the emperor is called tenno wordnet
- 4 Any emperor of Japan. countable, literary
"The mikados of Japan are its emperors."
- 5 The steam locomotive 2-8-2 wheel arrangement.
"From Mombasa the train is worked by a Mikado, built in 1927 by Robert Stephenson, Darlington, originally intended for shunting, but now used on most passenger trains between Mombasa and Nairobi, where the rails are 80 lb. to the yard, laid in 40 ft. lengths."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A game of skill, in which identically shaped (but differently colored and valued) wooden sticks must be removed from a pile without disturbing the remaining stack. countable, uncountable
- 7 A fabric having a stiff twill weave. countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 A hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada.
- 2 A township and unincorporated community therein, in Alcona County, Michigan, United States.
Example
More examples"Is it possible to play mikado with cooked spaghetti?"
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Japanese 御門 (mikado), from 御 (mi, “honorable”) + 門 (kado, “gate, portal”).
Etymology 2
From Japanese 御門 (mikado).
Related phrases
More for "mikado"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.