Link Centre Dictionary

cardinal

car·di·nal

UK/ˈkɑːd(ɪ)nəl/ US/ˈkʰɑːd(ɪ)nəl] ~ [ˈkʰɑːd(ɪ)nl̩/ fairly common
adjective (2) noun (4)

adjective

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”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order

  • “cardinal numbers”
Antonyms
Similar

noun

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

Synonyms
3.

a variable color averaging a vivid red

Synonyms
4.

Origin

From Middle French cardinal, from Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that on which something turns or depends, important, principal, chief”), from cardin-, cardō (“hinge”) + -ālis, adjectival suffix.

Phrases

  • cardinal adjective
  • cardinal beetle
  • cardinal bird
  • cardinal bishop
  • cardinal concern
  • cardinal fish
  • cardinal flower
  • cardinal gem

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.