# cardinal

Pronunciation: US say "KAR-di-nuhl" /ˈkɑɹdɪnəl/; UK/AUS say "KAH-di-nuhl" /ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl/

## Noun

1. A senior official of the Roman Catholic Church, appointed by the pope and ranking just below him, who together with the others forms the body that elects each new pope.
   - Simple: A senior leader in the Roman Catholic Church, chosen by the pope, who helps pick the next pope.
   - _The newly appointed cardinal received his red hat from the pope._
   - _When the pope died, every cardinal under eighty gathered to choose his successor._
2. A New World songbird of the genus Cardinalis, named for the vivid red plumage of the male.
   - Simple: A North American songbird with bright red feathers and a pointed crest on its head.
   - _A male cardinal flashed scarlet against the snowy branches._
   - _The cardinal built its nest in the dense shrubs near the fence._
6. Ellipsis of cardinal number.
   - Simple: Short for cardinal number. It is a number that tells how many things there are.
   - _In set theory, a cardinal measures how many members a collection has._
   - _The cardinal five represents a collection of exactly five elements._
8. A deep red color, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, traditionally the shade of a Catholic cardinal's cassock.
   - Simple: A deep red color, a little softer than scarlet.
   - _The designer favored a rich cardinal for the gallery walls._
   - _Against the gray stone, the banner's cardinal looked almost regal._
9. Ellipsis of cardinal numeral.
   - Simple: Short for cardinal numeral. It is a word like 'one' or 'two.'
   - _Every language has a set of cardinals for expressing quantity._
   - _The teacher drilled the cardinal 'twelve' until everyone could spell it._
10. Ellipsis of cardinal flower. — Ellipsis of cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), a flowering plant.
   - Simple: Short for cardinal flower. It is a plant with bright red flowers.
   - _The cardinal thrives in moist soil along stream banks._
   - _Hummingbirds visited the cardinal all through late summer._
11. Ellipsis of cardinal tetra. — Ellipsis of cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), a freshwater fish.
   - Simple: Short for cardinal tetra. It is a small, colorful fish.
   - _The cardinal prefers soft, slightly acidic water in a well-planted tank._
   - _Under the aquarium light, the cardinal's red and blue stripe glowed._
13. A woman's short hooded cloak, originally made of scarlet cloth.
   - Simple: A woman's short hooded cloak, first made from bright red cloth.
   - _She drew her cardinal close against the December wind._
   - _A scarlet cardinal covered the young woman's gown as she crossed the courtyard._

## Adjective

3. Relating to the four principal compass points: north, south, east, and west.
   - Simple: Used about the four main directions of north, south, east and west.
   - _The old map labeled each cardinal direction with an ornate symbol._
   - _Sailors aligned the ship using the cardinal points of the compass._
4. Of fundamental importance; crucial or pivotal.
   - Simple: Most important: the main thing that everything else depends on.
   - _Honesty was the cardinal principle that guided her entire career._
   - _A cardinal mistake in the negotiation cost them the whole deal._
5. Describing a number that indicates quantity, such as one, two, or three, rather than position in a sequence.
   - Simple: Describing a number that tells how many, like one, two, or three: not the order.
   - _Children master cardinal numbers before they learn to count by order._
   - _In this table, each cardinal value records a simple count of items._
7. Having a bright, deep red color, like a Catholic cardinal's robe.
   - Simple: Having a deep, bright red color.
   - _The autumn maples turned a brilliant cardinal shade._
   - _Her gown was a deep cardinal that glowed under the lights._
12. In astrology, belonging to the group of signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, linked with beginnings, creation, and force.
   - Simple: Describes Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn, the star signs linked with new beginnings.
   - _Astrologers describe Libra as a cardinal sign tied to fresh starts._
   - _The chart placed three planets in cardinal signs._

## Noun

14. A hot drink of red wine warmed with spices. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A hot drink made from red wine warmed with spices.
   - _On winter evenings the inn served steaming bowls of cardinal._
   - _She ladled hot cardinal into the waiting cups._

## Origin

From Middle French cardinal, from Latin cardinālis ("pertaining to a hinge, hence important, principal, chief"), formed from cardō ("hinge") plus the adjectival suffix -ālis.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cardinal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).