Adjacent Words

Cardinal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CARDINAL, a. Chief, principal, preeminent, or fundamental; as the cardinal virtues, which Pagans supposed to be justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude.
CARDINAL, n.
1. An ecclesiastical prince in the Romish church, who has a voice in the conclave at the election of a Pope, who is taken from their number. The cardinals are divided into three classes or orders, containing six bishops, fifty priests, and fourteen deacons, making seventy. These constitute the sacred college, and compose the Popes council. Originally they were subordinate in rank to bishops; but they have now the precedence. The dress of a cardinal is a red soutaine or cassock, a rocket, a short purple mantle and a red hat.
2. A womans cloke.
Cardinal-flower, a plant of the genus Lobelia, of many species. They are fibrous-rooted perennials, rising from two to five or six feet high, with erect stalks, ornamented with oblong, oval, spear-shaped simple leaves, and spikes of beautiful monopetalous flowers of scarlet, blue and violet colors. The natives of this country use a decoction of one species, the siphilitica, as a remedy in the venereal disease.
Cardinal numbers, are the numbers, one, two, three, etc., in distinction from first, second, third, etc., which are called ordinal numbers.
Cardinal points, in cosmography, are the four intersections of the horizon with the meridian, and the prime vertical circle, or North and South, East and West. In astrology, the cardinal points are the rising and setting of the sun, the zenith and nadir.
Cardinal signs, in astronomy, are Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn.
Cardinal winds, are those which blow from the cardinal points.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: serving as an essential component; "a cardinal rule"; "the central cause of the problem"; "an example that was fundamental to the argument"; "computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure" [syn: cardinal, central, fundamental, key, primal]
2: being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; "cardinal numbers" [ant: ordinal] n
1: (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
2: the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order [syn: cardinal number, cardinal]
3: a variable color averaging a vivid red [syn: cardinal, carmine]
4: crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male [syn: cardinal, cardinal grosbeak, Richmondena Cardinalis, Cardinalis cardinalis, redbird]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cardinalis, from Late Latin cardinalis, adjective Date: 12th century 1. a high ecclesiastical official of the Roman Catholic Church who ranks next below the pope and is appointed by him to assist him as a member of the college of cardinals 2. cardinal number — usually used in plural 3. [from its color, resembling that of the cardinal's robes] a crested finch (Cardinalis cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae) of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada, the southwestern U.S., and Mexico to Belize which has a black face and heavy red bill in both sexes and is nearly completely red in the male • cardinalship noun II. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin cardinalis, from Latin, serving as a hinge, from cardin-, cardo hinge Date: 14th century 1. of basic importance ; main, chief, primary <a cardinal principle> 2. very serious or grave <a cardinal sin> Synonyms: see essential • cardinally adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 (as a title Cardinal) a leading dignitary of the RC Church, one of the college electing the Pope. 2 any small American songbird of the genus Richmondena, the males of which have scarlet plumage. 3 hist. a woman's cloak, orig. of scarlet cloth with a hood. --adj. 1 chief, fundamental; on which something hinges. 2 of deep scarlet (like a cardinal's cassock). Phrases and idioms: cardinal-flower the scarlet lobelia. cardinal humour see HUMOUR. cardinal numbers those denoting quantity (one, two, three, etc.), as opposed to ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.). cardinal points the four main points of the compass (N., S., E., W.). cardinal virtues the chief moral attributes: justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. Derivatives: cardinalate n. (in sense 1 of n.). cardinally adv. cardinalship n. (in sense 1 of n.). Etymology: ME f. OF f. L cardinalis f. cardo -inis hinge: in Eng. first applied to the four virtues on which conduct 'hinges'

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cardinal Car"di*nal, a. [L. cardinalis, fr. cardo the hinge of a door, that on which a thing turns or depends: cf. F. cardinal.] Of fundamental importance; pre["e]minent; superior; chief; principal. The cardinal intersections of the zodiac. --Sir T. Browne. Impudence is now a cardinal virtue. --Drayton. But cardinal sins, and hollow hearts, I fear ye. --Shak. Cardinal numbers, the numbers one, two, three, etc., in distinction from first, second, third, etc., which are called ordinal numbers. Cardinal points (a) (Geol.) The four principal points of the compass, or intersections of the horizon with the meridian and the prime vertical circle, north, south east, and west. (b) (Astrol.) The rising and setting of the sun, the zenith and nadir. Cardinal signs (Astron.) Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn. Cardinal teeth (Zo["o]l.), the central teeth of bivalve shell. See Bivalve. Cardinal veins (Anat.), the veins in vertebrate embryos, which run each side of the vertebral column and returm the blood to the heart. They remain through life in some fishes. Cardinal virtues, pre["e]minent virtues; among the ancients, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. Cardinal winds, winds which blow from the cardinal points due north, south, east, or west.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cardinal Car"di*nal, n. [F. carinal, It. cardinale, LL. cardinalis (ecclesi[ae] Roman[ae]). See Cardinal, a.] 1. (R. C. Ch.) One of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the pope's council, or the sacred college. The clerics of the supreme Chair are called Cardinals, as undoubtedly adhering more nearly to the hinge by which all things are moved. --Pope Leo IX. Note: The cardinals are appointed by the pope. Since the time of Sixtus V., their number can never exceed seventy (six of episcopal rank, fifty priests, fourteen deacons), and the number of cardinal priests and deacons is seldom full. When the papel chair is vacant a pope is elected by the college of cardinals from among themselves. The cardinals take precedence of all dignitaries except the pope. The principal parts of a cardinal's costume are a red cassock, a rochet, a short purple mantle, and a red hat with a small crown and broad brim, with cords and tessels of a special pattern hanging from it. 2. A woman's short cloak with a hood. Where's your cardinal! Make haste. --Lloyd. 3. Mulled red wine. --Hotten.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(cardinals) 1. A cardinal is a high-ranking priest in the Catholic church. In 1448, Nicholas was appointed a cardinal... They were encouraged by a promise from Cardinal Winning. N-COUNT; N-TITLE 2. A cardinal rule or quality is the one that is considered to be the most important. (FORMAL) As a salesman, your cardinal rule is to do everything you can to satisfy a customer... = chief, principal ADJ: ADJ n 3. A cardinal is a common North American bird. The male has bright red feathers. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Principal, chief, main, leading, most important, essential, capital, central, vital.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A cloak in fashion about the year 1760.

Moby Thesaurus

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