cardinal

adj

1. Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.

   “a cardinal rule”

   “But cardinal sins, and hollow hearts, I fear ye.”

   “the cardinal intersections of the zodiack”

   “Impudence is now a cardinal virtue.”

2. Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).

   “a cardinal mark”

3. Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (e.g., zero, one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.
4. Having a bright red color (from the color of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).
5. Being one of the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, associated with initiation, creation, and force.

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope, equal to the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope.

   “His uncle, a Cardinal, engages a Spanish youth of Moorish descent called Diego, an expert singer and player on the virginal, to unlock the secrets of the heart,[…]and cure him by the spell of his music.”

   “Francis riled conservative cardinals with his compassion for migrants and refugees, openness towards LGBTQ+ Catholics and demands for action on the climate crisis. Among the frontrunners before the conclave began were Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state; Luis Antonio Tagle, a reformer from the Philippines; Péter Erdő, a traditionalist from Hungary; Robert Sarah, a cardinal from Guinea who criticised Francis’s papacy; and the moderate US cardinal Robert Prevost.”

2. (countable, uncountable)Any of various species of New-World passerine songbird in the genus Cardinalis, or in the family Cardinalidae more generally, or of similar appearance and once considered to be related to the former; so called because of their red plumage. (See Wikipedia article for taxonomical information.)

   “Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.”

3. (countable, uncountable)A deep red color, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal's cassock. (same as cardinal red)

   “Dark navy-blue, cardinal, golden-brown, old blue, olive, slate-gray, and telegraph-blue are the favorite solid colors seen in heavy beaver cloths […]”

   “The cardinal red and silver grey colors were worn with great enthusiasm. In the spring-time, when the entire student body bought their new straw hats, the bands were of cardinal and grey ribbon.”

4. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of cardinal number, a number indicating quantity, or the size of a set (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3). (See Cardinal_number.)

   “This cardinal number is the smallest of the infinite cardinal numbers; it is the one to which Cantor has appropriated the Hebrew aleph with the suffix 0, to distinguish it from larger infinite cardinals. Thus the name of the smallest of infinite cardinals is ₀א.”

5. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of cardinal numeral, a word used to represent a cardinal number.

   “The commonest numerals in Latin, as in English, are the "cardinals" […] and the "ordinals" […].”

6. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), a flowering plant.

   “The sweet-briar rose with perfume good, / And the violet grows in the Milton wood, / The cardinal red—a queen is she, / But the sweetest flower is Mary Lee.”

7. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable)Ellipsis of cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), a freshwater fish.
8. (countable, historical, uncountable)A woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth.

   “[…]; and whilst she was looking over several pieces of each, she took an opportunity of concealing under her cardinal a piece of cotton, and several handkerchiefs, with which she went off undiscovered;[…].”

   “She has valuables of mine; besides, my cardinal and veil are in her room.”

   “Where's your cardinal! Make haste.”

   “I have made no objection to their wearing the cardinal, though it be a habit of popish etymology, and was, I am afraid, first invented to hide the sluttishness of French dishabille.”

   “Closely drawing her cardinal round her, she descended into the park, at whose extremity was the little chapel where she intended to make her offering. She soon arrived there, and found the aged priest in attendance.”

9. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Mulled red wine.

   “He goes up, and finds the remains of the supper, Tankards full of egg-flip and cardinal, and a party playing at vingt-un.”

   “A Recipe to make Cardinal, which I attribute to the German governess, raises a problem.”

   “It was de Rosenberg's practice to separate young bloods from their inheritance, and to facilitate this he served them a vicious drink called 'cardinal', a mulled wine of which the ascertainable ingredients were a pineapple and several mixed vintages.”

10. A player on the St. Louis Cardinals team.

    “Smith became a Cardinal as the result of a pre-season trade.”

11. A player on the Arizona Cardinals team.
12. A student or player on a sports team at the University of Louisville.
13. A player on a sports team at Stanford University.

name

1. A surname from French common among French Canadians as well as Cree and Métis indigenous peoples in Canada.