cardinal

[kahr-dn-l] /ˈkɑr dn l/

adjective

of prime importance; chief; principal:

of cardinal significance.

of the color cardinal.

noun

Roman Catholic Church. a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and ranking above every other ecclesiastic but the pope.

Also called cardinal grosbeak. a crested grosbeak, Cardinalis cardinalis, of North America, the male of which is bright red.

any of various similar birds.

a deep, rich red color.

a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.

cardinal number.

Origin

before 1150; Middle English, Old English < Latin cardinālis, equivalent to cardin- (stem of cardō) hinge, hence, something on which other things hinge + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

cardinally, adverb

cardinalship, noun

intercardinal, adjective

postcardinal, adjective

subcardinal, adjective

subcardinally, adverb

uncardinally, adverb

Examples from the web for cardinal

cardinal tetra fish show off the primary-color finery that helps make them popular among aquarium owners.
It's the cardinal rule for any action-sports enthusiast.
Perhaps the cardinal sin, however, was not selling off state infrastructure to foreign investors.
The industry has committed the cardinal sin of getting high on its own supply.
Around the same time, a cardinal had discovered himself in an old mirror we'd left leaning against a little shed outside.
He missed two jays and a blackbird, but caught a beautiful cardinal by its leg.
It is a cardinal rule to keep shoppers' eyes on the merchandise at all times.
There must be a cardinal rule that every studio mike must have a sweat sock over it.
One of the cardinal sins of every courtroom is to not turn off your cell phone.
Of cardinal importance was the reintroduction of open elections, but with the difference that there were serious contenders.

British Dictionary definitions for cardinal

cardinal

/ˈkɑːdɪnəl/

noun

(RC Church) any of the members of the Sacred College, ranking next after the pope, who elect the pope and act as his chief counsellors

Also called cardinal red. a deep vivid red colour

See cardinal number

Also called cardinal grosbeak, (US) redbird. a crested North American bunting, Richmondena (or Pyrrhuloxia) cardinalis, the male of which has a bright red plumage and the female a brown one

a fritillary butterfly, Pandoriana pandora, found in meadows of southern Europe

a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries

adjective

(usually prenominal) fundamentally important; principal: cardinal sin

of a deep vivid red colour

(astrology) of or relating to the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn Compare mutable (sense 2), fixed (sense 10)

Derived Forms

cardinally, adverb

Word Origin

C13: from Latin cardinālis, literally: relating to a hinge, hence, that on which something depends, principal, from cardō hinge

Word Origin and History for cardinal

early 12c., "one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college" (short for cardinalis ecclesiae Romanae or episcopus cardinalis), from Latin cardinalis "principal, chief, essential" (see cardinal (adj.)).

Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome. The North American songbird (Cardinalis virginianus) is attested from 1670s, so named for its resemblance to the cardinals in their red robes.

adj.

"chief, pivotal," early 14c., from Latin cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (genitive cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends; pole of the sky," originally "door hinge," of unknown origin. Related: Cardinally.

The cardinal points (1540s) are north, south, east, west. The cardinal sins (c.1600) are too well known to require rehearsal. The cardinal virtues (c.1300) were divided into natural (justice prudence, temperance, fortitude) and theological (faith, hope, charity). The natural ones were the original classical ones, which were amended by Christians. But typically in Middle English only the first four were counted as the cardinal virtues:

Of þe uour uirtues cardinales spekeþ moche þe yealde philosofes. ["Ayenbite of Inwyt," c.1340]

By analogy of this, and cardinal points, cardinal winds, cardinal signs (four zodiacal signs marking the equinoxes and the solstices), the adjective in Middle English acquired an association with the number four.