Definitions for: Cardinal


[n] crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male
[n] a variable color averaging a vivid red
[n] (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
[n] the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order
[adj] 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"
[adj] being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order; "cardinal numbers"



Webster (1913) Definition: Car"di*nal, a. [L. cardinalis, fr. cardo the hinge of
a door, that on which a thing turns or depends: cf. F.
cardinal.]
Of fundamental importance; pre["e]minent; superior; chief;
principal.

The cardinal intersections of the zodiac. --Sir T.
Browne.

Impudence is now a cardinal virtue. --Drayton.

But cardinal sins, and hollow hearts, I fear ye.
--Shak.

Cardinal numbers, the numbers one, two, three, etc., in
distinction from first, second, third, etc., which are
called ordinal numbers.

Cardinal points
(a) (Geol.) The four principal points of the compass, or
intersections of the horizon with the meridian and the
prime vertical circle, north, south east, and west.
(b) (Astrol.) The rising and setting of the sun, the zenith
and nadir.

Cardinal signs (Astron.) Aries, Libra, Cancer, and
Capricorn.

Cardinal teeth (Zo["o]l.), the central teeth of bivalve
shell. See Bivalve.

Cardinal veins (Anat.), the veins in vertebrate embryos,
which run each side of the vertebral column and returm the
blood to the heart. They remain through life in some
fishes.

Cardinal virtues, pre["e]minent virtues; among the
ancients, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude.

Cardinal winds, winds which blow from the cardinal points
due north, south, east, or west.


Car"di*nal, n. [F. carinal, It. cardinale, LL.
cardinalis (ecclesi[ae] Roman[ae]). See Cardinal, a.]
1. (R. C. Ch.) One of the ecclesiastical princes who
constitute the pope's council, or the sacred college.

The clerics of the supreme Chair are called
Cardinals, as undoubtedly adhering more nearly to
the hinge by which all things are moved. --Pope Leo
IX.

Note: The cardinals are appointed by the pope. Since the time
of Sixtus V., their number can never exceed seventy
(six of episcopal rank, fifty priests, fourteen
deacons), and the number of cardinal priests and
deacons is seldom full. When the papel chair is vacant
a pope is elected by the college of cardinals from
among themselves. The cardinals take precedence of all
dignitaries except the pope. The principal parts of a
cardinal's costume are a red cassock, a rochet, a short
purple mantle, and a red hat with a small crown and
broad brim, with cords and tessels of a special pattern
hanging from it.

2. A woman's short cloak with a hood.

Where's your cardinal! Make haste. --Lloyd.

3. Mulled red wine. --Hotten.



Cardinal bird, or Cardinal grosbeak (Zo["o]l.), an
American song bird (Cardinalis cardinalis, or {C.
Virginianus}), of the family Fringillid[ae], or finches
having a bright red plumage, and a high, pointed crest on
its head. The males have loud and musical notes resembling
those of a fife. Other related species are also called
cardinal birds.

Cardinal flower (Bot.), an herbaceous plant ({Lobelia
cardinalis}) bearing brilliant red flowers of much beauty.


Cardinal red, a color like that of a cardinal's cassock,
hat, etc.; a bright red, darker than scarlet, and between
scarlet and crimson.

Synonyms: 0, 1, 10, 100, 1000, 101, 105, 11, 110, 115, 12, 120, 125, 13, 130, 135, 14, 140, 145, 15, 150, 155, 16, 160, 165, 17, 170, 175, 18, 180, 19, 190, 2, 20, 200, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 3, 30, 300, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 4, 40, 400, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 5, 50, 500, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 6, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 7, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 8, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 9, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, a billion, a hundred, a hundred and one, a hundred thousand, a million, a thousand, a trillion, a zillion, ane, billion, c, cardinal grosbeak, cardinal number, Cardinalis cardinalis, carmine, cc, ccc, cd, central, ci, cl, clv, clx, clxv, clxx, clxxv, clxxx, cv, cx, cxl, cxlv, cxv, cxx, cxxv, cxxx, cxxxv, d, dozen, eight, eighteen, eighty, eighty-eight, eighty-five, eighty-four, eighty-nine, eighty-one, eighty-seven, eighty-six, eighty-three, eighty-two, eleven, fifteen, fifty, fifty-eight, fifty-five, fifty-four, fifty-nine, fifty-one, fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-three, fifty-two, five, five hundred, forty, forty-eight, forty-five, forty-four, forty-nine, forty-one, forty-seven, forty-six, forty-three, forty-two, four, four hundred, fourscore, fourteen, fundamental, half a dozen, half dozen, hundred, hundred and one, hundred thousand, i, ic, ii, iii, il, ilx, ilxx, ilxxx, important, iv, ix, ixc, ixl, k, key, l, li, lii, liii, liv, lv, lvi, lvii, lviii, lx, lxi, lxii, lxiii, lxiv, lxv, lxvi, lxvii, lxviii, lxx, lxxi, lxxii, lxxiii, lxxiv, lxxv, lxxvi, lxxvii, lxxviii, lxxx, lxxxi, lxxxii, lxxxiii, lxxxiv, lxxxv, lxxxvi, lxxxvii, lxxxviii, m, million, nine, nineteen, ninety, ninety-eight, ninety-five, ninety-four, ninety-nine, ninety-one, ninety-seven, ninety-six, ninety-three, ninety-two, of import, one, one hundred, one hundred eighty, one hundred fifteen, one hundred fifty, one hundred fifty-five, one hundred five, one hundred forty, one hundred forty-five, one hundred ninety, one hundred one, one hundred seventy, one hundred seventy-five, one hundred sixty, one hundred sixty-five, one hundred ten, one hundred thirty, one hundred thirty-five, one hundred twenty, one hundred twenty-five, one thousand, primal, redbird, Richmondena Cardinalis, seven, seventeen, seventy, seventy-eight, seventy-five, seventy-four, seventy-nine, seventy-one, seventy-seven, seventy-six, seventy-three, seventy-two, six, sixteen, sixty, sixty-eight, sixty-five, sixty-four, sixty-nine, sixty-one, sixty-seven, sixty-six, sixty-three, sixty-two, ten, ten thousand, thirteen, thirty, thirty-eight, thirty-five, thirty-four, thirty-nine, thirty-one, thirty-seven, thirty-six, thirty-three, thirty-two, thousand, three, three hundred, threescore, trillion, twelve, twenty, twenty-eight, twenty-five, twenty-four, twenty-nine, twenty-one, twenty-seven, twenty-six, twenty-three, twenty-two, two, two hundred, twoscore, v, vi, vii, viii, x, xc, xci, xcii, xciii, xciv, xcl, xcv, xcvi, xcvii, xcviii, xi, xii, xiii, xiv, xix, xl, xli, xlii, xliii, xliv, xlv, xlvi, xlvii, xlviii, xv, xvi, xvii, xviii, xx, xxi, xxii, xxiii, xxiv, xxix, xxv, xxvi, xxvii, xxviii, xxx, xxxi, xxxii, xxxiii, xxxiv, xxxv, xxxvi, xxxvii, xxxviii, zero, zillion

Antonyms: ordinal

See Also: absolute frequency, Bellarmine, Bellarmino, bishop, Borgia, Cardinal Bellarmine, Cesare Borgia, dean, finch, frequency, genus Richmondena, googol, googolplex, number, red, redness, Richmondena, Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmine, Sacred College

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