Cardinal definition

kärdn-əl, kärdnəl
A cardinal number.
noun
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Of foremost importance; paramount.

A cardinal rule; cardinal sins.

adjective
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(roman catholic church) A high church official, ranking just below the pope, who has been appointed by a pope to membership in the College of Cardinals.
noun
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A dark to deep or vivid red.
noun
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Dark to deep or vivid red.
adjective
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A North American bird (Cardinalis cardinalis) having a crested head, a short thick bill, and bright red plumage in the male.
noun
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A short hooded cloak, originally of scarlet cloth, worn by women in the 1700s.
noun
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Of main importance; principal; chief.
adjective
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Bright-red, like the robe of a cardinal.
adjective
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The definition of a cardinal is a songbird with a noticeable crest and a stout bill that is often red in color, a distinctive red color, or a dignitary in the Roman Catholic church.

A songbird with a red plume and stout bill is an example of a cardinal.

A deep scarlet color is an example of cardinal.

A Roman Catholic dignitary nominated by the Pope and held in high esteem within the church is an example of a Cardinal.

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One of the Roman Catholic officials appointed by the pope to his council (College of Cardinals)
noun
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Bright red.
noun
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A woman's short cloak, originally red and usually hooded, fashionable in the 18th cent.
noun
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Any of various passerine birds (family Emberizidae); esp., a bright-red, crested American species (Cardinalis cardinalis) with a red bill.
noun
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noun
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Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.

A cardinal rule.

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

A cardinal mark.

adjective
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Describing a "natural" number used to indicate quantity (e.g., one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.
adjective
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Having a bright red color (from the color of a Catholic cardinal's cassock).
adjective
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A number indicating quantity, or the size of a set, e.g., one, two, three. (See Cardinal number.)
noun
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(grammar) A word used to represent a cardinal number; a cardinal numeral.
noun
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An official in the Catholic Church, ranking only below the Pope and the patriarchs. (See Catholic cardinals.)
noun
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A songbird of the finch family, Cardinalis cardinalis.
noun
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Any of various related passerine birds of the family Cardinalidae. (See cardinal birds.)
noun
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A shade of scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal's cassock.

noun
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A woman's short cloak with a hood.
noun
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Mulled red wine.

noun
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(baseball) A player on the St. Louis Cardinals team.

Smith became a Cardinal as the result of a pre-season trade.

noun
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(American football) A player on the Arizona Cardinals team.
noun
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A player on a sports team at Stanford University.
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A student or player on a sports team at the University of Louisville.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
cardinal
Plural:
cardinals

Origin of cardinal

  • 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

  • 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

Cardinal Sentence Examples

  • He became dean of Toledo early, and was made cardinal on the 5th of August 1669.

  • Cardinal numbers form a class.

  • Everyone in the crowded room knew Pastor Humphries and treated him with the reverence as a visiting cardinal.

  • Cardinal Consalvi's Memoires were published in two vols.

  • In this he failed, and Henry was crowned in Paris on the 17th of December 1431 by Henry Beaufort, cardinal bishop of Winchester, assisted by the bishops of Beauvais and Noyon.

More sentences

Related articles

Words near cardinal in the Dictionary