cardinal

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

any bird belonging to the genus Cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae (cardinal family), especially the common northern cardinal of North America, the male of which is bright red.

any bird of the Americas belonging to the genus Piranga, Chlorothraupis, or Habia, including the scarlet tanager: these three genera were long considered part of the tanager family but are now classified as members of the cardinal family.

Also called red-head·ed car·di·nal [red, -hed-id , kahr, -dn-l]. any bird belonging to the genus Paroaria of the tanager family (Thraupidae), noted for drab plumage other than conspicuously red head parts: most common in South America, Paroaria species include the prominently crested P. coronata, which has been successfully introduced to Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

Also called Med·i·ter·ra·ne·an frit·il·lar·y [med-i-t, uh, -, rey, -nee-, uh, n , frit, -l-er-ee]. a spotted, orange nymphalid butterfly with a green underside, Argynnis pandora, found throughout southern Europe and some adjoining regions of Asia and northern Africa.

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a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.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

of prime importance; chief; principal:

of the color cardinal.