cardinal (ˈkɑːdɪnəll
)
Definitions
noun
- Roman Catholic Church any of the members of the Sacred College, ranking next after the pope, who elect the pope and act as his chief counsellors
- cardinal reda deep vivid red colour
- See cardinal number
- cardinal grosbeakUSredbirda crested North American bunting, a crested North American bunting, Richmondena (or a crested North American bunting, (or Pyrrhuloxia ) a crested North American bunting, (or ) cardinalis, the male of which has a bright red plumage and the female a brown one
- a fritillary butterfly, a fritillary butterfly, Pandoriana pandora, found in meadows of southern Europe
- a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries
adjective
- (usually prenominal) fundamentally important; principal ⇒
cardinal sin
- of a deep vivid red colour
- astrology of or relating to the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn Compare mutable (sense 2)
, fixed (sense 10)
Alternative Forms
ˈcardinally adverb Word Origin
C13: from Latin cardinālis, literally: relating to a hinge, hence, that on which something depends, principal, from cardō hinge
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
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principal,
first,
highest,
greatest,
leading,
important,
chief,
main,
prime,
central,
key,
essential,
primary,
fundamental,
paramount,
foremost,
pre-eminent,
