cardinal

[ kahr-dn-l ]

/ ˈkɑr dn l /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR cardinal ON THESAURUS.COM

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a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cardinal

car·di·nal·ly, adverb car·di·nal·ship, noun in·ter·car·di·nal, adjective post·car·di·nal, adjective

sub·car·di·nal, adjective sub·car·di·nal·ly, adverb un·car·di·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby cardinal

cardiff, cardigan, cardigan bay, cardiganshire, cardin, cardinal, cardinal beetle, cardinal flower, cardinal grosbeak, cardinal ligament, cardinal number

Example sentences from the Web for cardinal

“Light trumps darkness, hope beats despair, grace wins over sin, love defeats hate, life conquers death,” the cardinal said.

'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops |Michael Daly |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Elisabetta Piqué, who knew Bergoglio well as a cardinal, writes in the present tense as if to convey real time passing.

How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF |Jason Berry |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And yet, a dossier of allegations involving human rights could not help any cardinal at a moment like that.

How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF |Jason Berry |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The cardinals had such a bad reputation that the very term “cardinal” became an insult in Renaissance Rome.

Great Renaissance Art Thrived Amid Filth |Nick Romeo |December 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Perhaps, as one cardinal recently complained, the chaos is the plan.

Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays? |Jay Michaelson |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The cardinal wanted a benefice for one of his followers, and the Pope wished to get his son's enemy once more into his power.

Renaissance in Italy Vol. 3 |John Addington Symonds
Chavigni repaid the Cardinal with heartfelt gratitude, with firm adherence, and uncompromising service.

Richelieu, v. 1/3 |G. P. R. James
"Of course, I shall continue to work with the Cardinal," said the priest, when the family gave him time to speak.

Marzio's Crucifix and Zoroaster |F. Marion Crawford
The ascetic side of it became the cardinal idea of religious virtue in the Middle Ages.

Folkways |William Graham Sumner
Cardinal Cajetan was the legate, and he was but little fitted to deal with Luther.

Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 of 8 |Various

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 (def. 2), fixed (def. 10)

Derived forms of cardinal

cardinally, adverb

Word Origin for cardinal

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cardinal

adjective

noun

Origin of cardinal

OTHER WORDS FROM cardinal

Words nearby cardinal

Example sentences from the Web for cardinal

British Dictionary definitions for cardinal

noun

adjective

Derived forms of cardinal

Word Origin for cardinal

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cardinal

adjective

noun

Origin of cardinal

OTHER WORDS FROM cardinal

Words nearby cardinal

Words related to cardinal

Example sentences from the Web for cardinal

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noun

adjective

Derived forms of cardinal

Word Origin for cardinal

British Dictionary definitions for cardinal