Cardinal Definition

kärdn-əl, kärdnəl

adjective

Of main importance; principal; chief.

Webster's New World

Dark to deep or vivid red.

American Heritage

Bright-red, like the robe of a cardinal.

Webster's New World

(nautical) Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).

A cardinal mark.

Wiktionary

Describing a "natural" number used to indicate quantity (e.g., one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

One of the Roman Catholic officials appointed by the pope to his council (College of Cardinals)

Webster's New World

Bright red.

Webster's New World

Any of various passerine birds (family Emberizidae); esp., a bright-red, crested American species (Cardinalis cardinalis) with a red bill.

Webster's New World

A woman's short cloak, originally red and usually hooded, fashionable in the 18th cent.

Webster's New World

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Cardinal

Singular:

cardinal

Plural:

cardinals

From French cardinal, from Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that on which something turns or depends, important, principal, chief”), from cardō (“hinge”) + -ālis, adjectival suffix.

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Late Latin cardinālis principal, pivotal from Latin serving as a hinge from cardō cardin- hinge

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition