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cardinal

 - 3 dictionary results
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car⋅di⋅nal

  [kahr-dn-l]
Use cardinal in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of prime importance; chief; principal: of cardinal significance.
2. of the color cardinal.
–noun
3. Roman Catholic Church. a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and ranking above every other ecclesiastic but the pope.
4. Also called cardinal grosbeak. a crested grosbeak, Cardinalis cardinalis, of North America, the male of which is bright red.
5. any of various similar birds.
6. a deep, rich red color.
7. a woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.
8. cardinal number.
Origin:
bef. 1150; ME, OE < L cardinālis, equiv. to cardin- (s. of cardō) hinge, hence, something on which other things hinge + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
car⋅di⋅nal⋅ly, adverb
car⋅di⋅nal⋅ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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car·di·nal   (kär'dn-əl, kärd'nəl)   
adj.  

  1. Of foremost importance; paramount: a cardinal rule; cardinal sins.

  2. Dark to deep or vivid red.

n.  

  1. Abbr. Card. 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.

  2. A dark to deep or vivid red.

  3. A North American finch (Cardinalis cardinalis) having a crested head, a short thick bill, and bright red plumage in the male.

  4. A short hooded cloak, originally of scarlet cloth, worn by women in the 18th century.

  5. A cardinal number.


[Middle English, from Late Latin cardinālis, principal, pivotal, from Latin, serving as a hinge, from cardō, cardin-, hinge.]
car'di·nal·ship' n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cardinal  (n.)
1125, "one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college," from L. cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (gen. cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends," originally "door hinge." Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome. The adj. sense of "chief, principal" in Eng. is attested from c.1440. Cardinal numbers (1591) are the primitive "one, two, three," etc. as opposed to ordinal numbers "first, second, third," etc. Cardinal points (1549) are "north, south, east, west." The cardinal virtues (c.1300) were divided into natural (justice prudence, temperance, fortitude) and theological (faith, hope, charity). The N.Amer. songbird (Cardinalis virginianus) is attested from 1678, so named for its resemblance to the red robes of the cardinals.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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