ˈkɑ:dɪnl n. & adj. --n. 1 (as a
title Cardinal) a leading
dignitary of
the RC
Church,
one of the
college electing the Pope. 2
any small American songbird of the
genus Richmondena, the males of
which have scarlet plumage. 3
hist. a woman's
cloak, orig. of scarlet
cloth with a hood. --adj. 1
chief,
fundamental; on which
something hinges. 2 of
deep scarlet (like a cardinal's cassock). øcardinal-flower the scarlet
lobelia. cardinal
humour see HUMOUR. cardinal numbers
those denoting
quantity (one,
two,
three, etc.), as opposed to
ordinal numbers (first, second,
third, etc.). cardinal points the
four main points of the
compass (N.,
S., E., W.). cardinal virtues the chief
moral attributes:
justice, prudence,
temperance,
and fortitude. øøcardinalate n. (in
sense 1 of n.). cardinally adv. cardinalship n. (in sense 1 of n.). [ME f. OF f. L cardinalis f. cardo -inis
hinge: in
Eng.
first applied to the four virtues on which
conduct 'hinges']