cardinal

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈkɑːrdnəl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈkɑrdənl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(kärdn l)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
car•di•nal /ˈkɑrdənl/USA pronunciation   adj. [before a noun]
  1. Phoneticsof the greatest significance:a matter of cardinal importance; a cardinal sin.

n. [countable]
  1. Religiona high church official appointed by the pope.
  2. Birdsa common crested songbird of North America, the male of which is bright red.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
car•di•nal  (kärdn l),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. Phoneticsof prime importance;
    chief;
    principal:of cardinal significance.
  2. of the color cardinal.

n. 
  1. Religion[Rom. Cath. Ch.]a high ecclesiastic appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals and ranking above every other ecclesiastic but the pope.
  2. BirdsAlso called cardinal grosbeak. a crested grosbeak, Cardinalis cardinalis, of North America, the male of which is bright red.
  3. Birdsany of various similar birds.
  4. a deep, rich red color.
  5. Clothinga woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth and popularly worn in the 18th century.
  6. MathematicsSee cardinal number. 
  • Latin cardinālis, equivalent. to cardin- (stem of cardō) hinge, hence, something on which other things hinge + -ālis -al1
  • Middle English, Old English bef. 1150
cardi•nal•ly, adv. 
cardi•nal•ship′, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
cardinal / ˈkɑːdɪnəl/
  1. any of the members of the Sacred College, ranking next after the pope, who elect the pope and act as his chief counsellors
  2. Also called: cardinal red a deep vivid red colour
  3. See cardinal number
  4. Also called: cardinal grosbeak, (US) redbird a crested North American bunting, Richmondena (or Pyrrhuloxia) cardinalis, the male of which has a bright red plumage and the female a brown one
  5. a woman's hooded shoulder cape worn in the 17th and 18th centuries
  1. (usually prenominal) fundamentally important; principal: cardinal sin
  2. of a deep vivid red colour
Etymology: 13th Century: from Latin cardinālis, literally: relating to a hinge, hence, that on which something depends, principal, from cardō hinge
'cardinal' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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