CARDINAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cardinal mean? 

• CARDINAL (noun)
  The noun CARDINAL has 4 senses:

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

3. a variable color averaging a vivid red

4. crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male

  Familiarity information: CARDINAL used as a noun is uncommon.

• CARDINAL (adjective)
  The adjective CARDINAL has 2 senses:

1. serving as an essential component

2. being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order

  Familiarity information: CARDINAL used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CARDINAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("cardinal" is a kind of...):

bishop (a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ)

Domain category:

Church of Rome; Roman Catholic; Roman Catholic Church; Roman Church; Western Church (the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cardinal"):

dean ((Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals)

Instance hyponyms:

Bellarmine; Bellarmino; Cardinal Bellarmine; Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmine (Italian cardinal and theologian (1542-1621))

Borgia; Cesare Borgia (Italian cardinal and military leader; model for Machiavelli's prince (1475-1507))

Holonyms ("cardinal" is a member of...):

cardinalate; College of Cardinals; Sacred College; Sacred College of Cardinals ((Roman Catholic Church) the body of all cardinals of the church; elects and advises the pope)

Derivation:

cardinalship (the office of cardinal)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

cardinal; cardinal number

Hypernyms ("cardinal" is a kind of...):

number (a concept of quantity involving zero and units)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cardinal"):

absolute frequency; frequency (the number of observations in a given statistical category)

googol (a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by 100 zeros (ten raised to the power of a hundred))

googolplex (a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by a googol of zeros (ten raised to the power of a googol))

Sense 3

Meaning:

A variable color averaging a vivid red

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

cardinal; carmine

Hypernyms ("cardinal" is a kind of...):

red; redness (red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

cardinal; cardinal grosbeak; Cardinalis cardinalis; redbird; Richmondena Cardinalis

Hypernyms ("cardinal" is a kind of...):

finch (any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds)

Holonyms ("cardinal" is a member of...):

genus Richmondena; Richmondena (cardinals)

• CARDINAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Serving as an essential component

Synonyms:

cardinal; central; fundamental; key; primal

Context example:

computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure

Similar:

important; of import (of great significance or value)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order

Context example:

cardinal numbers

Similar:

0; zero (indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration)

non-zero (not involving zero)

1; ane; i; one (used of a single unit or thing; not two or more)

2; ii; two (being one more than one)

3; iii; three (being one more than two)

4; four; iv (being one more than three)

5; five; v (being one more than four)

6; half-dozen; half dozen; six; vi (denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units)

7; seven; vii (being one more than six)

8; eight; viii (being one more than seven)

9; ix; nine (denoting a quantity consisting of one more than eight and one less than ten)

10; ten; x (being one more than nine)

11; eleven; xi (being one more than ten)

12; dozen; twelve; xii (denoting a quantity consisting of 12 items or units)

13; thirteen; xiii (being one more than twelve)

14; fourteen; xiv (being one more than thirteen)

15; fifteen; xv (being one more than fourteen)

16; sixteen; xvi (being one more than fifteen)

17; seventeen; xvii (being one more than sixteen)

18; eighteen; xviii (being one more than seventeen)

19; nineteen; xix (being one more than eighteen)

20; twenty; xx (denoting a quantity consisting of 20 items or units)

21; twenty-one; xxi (being one more than twenty)

22; twenty-two; xxii (being two more than twenty)

23; twenty-three; xxiii (being three more than twenty)

24; twenty-four; xxiv (being four more than twenty)

25; twenty-five; xxv (being five more than twenty)

26; twenty-six; xxvi (being six more than twenty)

27; twenty-seven; xxvii (being seven more than twenty)

28; twenty-eight; xxviii (being eight more than twenty)

29; twenty-nine; xxix (being nine more than twenty)

30; thirty; xxx (being ten more than twenty)

31; thirty-one; xxxi (being one more than thirty)

32; thirty-two; xxxii (being two more than thirty)

33; thirty-three; xxxiii (being three more than thirty)

34; thirty-four; xxxiv (being four more than thirty)

35; thirty-five; xxxv (being five more than thirty)

36; thirty-six; xxxvi (being six more than thirty)

37; thirty-seven; xxxvii (being seven more than thirty)

38; thirty-eight; xxxviii (being eight more than thirty)

39; ixl; thirty-nine (being nine more than thirty)

40; forty; twoscore; xl (being ten more than thirty)

41; forty-one; xli (being one more than forty)

42; forty-two; xlii (being two more than forty)

43; forty-three; xliii (being three more than forty)

44; forty-four; xliv (being four more than forty)

45; forty-five; xlv (being five more than forty)

46; forty-six; xlvi (being six more than forty)

47; forty-seven; xlvii (being seven more than forty)

48; forty-eight; xlviii (being eight more than forty)

49; forty-nine; il (being nine more than forty)

50; fifty; l (being ten more than forty)

51; fifty-one; li (being one more than fifty)

52; fifty-two; lii (being two more than fifty)

53; fifty-three; liii (being three more than fifty)

54; fifty-four; liv (being four more than fifty)

55; fifty-five; lv (being five more than fifty)

56; fifty-six; lvi (being six more than fifty)

57; fifty-seven; lvii (being seven more than fifty)

58; fifty-eight; lviii (being eight more than fifty)

59; fifty-nine; ilx (being nine more than fifty)

60; lx; sixty; threescore (being ten more than fifty)

61; lxi; sixty-one (being one more than sixty)

62; lxii; sixty-two (being two more than sixty)

63; lxiii; sixty-three (being three more than sixty)

64; lxiv; sixty-four (being four more than sixty)

65; lxv; sixty-five (being five more than sixty)

66; lxvi; sixty-six (being six more than sixty)

67; lxvii; sixty-seven (being seven more than sixty)

68; lxviii; sixty-eight (being eight more than sixty)

69; ilxx; sixty-nine (being nine more than sixty)

70; lxx; seventy (being ten more than sixty)

71; lxxi; seventy-one (being one more than seventy)

72; lxxii; seventy-two (being two more than seventy)

73; lxxiii; seventy-three (being three more than seventy)

74; lxxiv; seventy-four (being four more than seventy)

75; lxxv; seventy-five (being five more than seventy)

76; lxxvi; seventy-six (being six more than seventy)

77; lxxvii; seventy-seven (being seven more than seventy)

78; lxxviii; seventy-eight (being eight more than seventy)

79; ilxxx; seventy-nine (being nine more than seventy)

80; eighty; fourscore; lxxx (being ten more than seventy)

81; eighty-one; lxxxi (being one more than eighty)

82; eighty-two; lxxxii (being two more than eighty)

83; eighty-three; lxxxiii (being three more than eighty)

84; eighty-four; lxxxiv (being four more than eighty)

85; eighty-five; lxxxv (being five more than eighty)

86; eighty-six; lxxxvi (being six more than eighty)

87; eighty-seven; lxxxvii (being seven more than eighty)

88; eighty-eight; lxxxviii (being eight more than eighty)

89; eighty-nine; ixc (being nine more than eighty)

90; ninety; xc (being ten more than eighty)

91; ninety-one; xci (being one more than ninety)

92; ninety-two; xcii (being two more than ninety)

93; ninety-three; xciii (being three more than ninety)

94; ninety-four; xciv (being four more than ninety)

95; ninety-five; xcv (being five more than ninety)

96; ninety-six; xcvi (being six more than ninety)

97; ninety-seven; xcvii (being seven more than ninety)

98; ninety-eight; xcviii (being eight more than ninety)

99; ic; ninety-nine (being one less than one hundred and nine more than ninety)

100; c; hundred; one hundred (being ten more than ninety)

101; ci; hundred and one; one hundred one (being one more than one hundred)

105; cv; one hundred five (being five more than one hundred)

110; cx; one hundred ten (being ten more than one hundred)

115; cxv; one hundred fifteen (being five more than one hundred ten)

120; cxx; one hundred twenty (being ten more than one hundred ten)

125; cxxv; one hundred twenty-five (being five more than one hundred twenty)

130; cxxx; one hundred thirty (being ten more than one hundred twenty)

135; cxxxv; one hundred thirty-five (being five more than one hundred thirty)

140; cxl; one hundred forty (being ten more than one hundred thirty)

145; cxlv; one hundred forty-five (being five more than one hundred forty)

150; cl; one hundred fifty (being ten more than one hundred forty)

155; clv; one hundred fifty-five (being five more than one hundred fifty)

160; clx; one hundred sixty (being ten more than one hundred fifty)

165; clxv; one hundred sixty-five (being five more than one hundred sixty)

170; clxx; one hundred seventy (being ten more than one hundred sixty)

175; clxxv; one hundred seventy-five (being five more than one hundred seventy)

180; clxxx; one hundred eighty (being ten more than one hundred seventy)

190; one hundred ninety; xcl (being ten more than one hundred eighty)

200; cc; two hundred (being ten more than one hundred ninety)

300; ccc; three hundred (being one hundred more than two hundred)

400; cd; four hundred (being one hundred more than three hundred)

500; d; five hundred (denoting a quantity consisting of 500 items or units)

1000; k; m; one thousand; thousand (denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units)

ten thousand (denoting a quantity consisting of 10,000 items or units)

hundred thousand ((in Roman numerals, C written with a macron over it) denoting a quantity consisting of 100,000 items or units)

million ((in Roman numerals, M written with a macron over it) denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000,000 items or units)

billion (denoting a quantity consisting of one thousand million items or units in the United States)

billion (denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain)

trillion (one million million in the United States)

trillion (one quintillion in Great Britain)

zillion (very large indeterminate number)

Antonym:

ordinal (being or denoting a numerical order in a series)

 Context examples 

One of the four primary cardinal directions.

(East, NCI Thesaurus)

A vein occurring during embryonic development that is formed from the union of the anterior and posterior cardinal veins.

(Common Cardinal Vein, NCI Thesaurus)

A vein located in the tail of vertebrate animals that leads to the inferior vena cava in mammals and the posterior cardinal vein in the trunk of fish.

(Caudal Vein, NCI Thesaurus)

A cardinal movement in labor when the head of the fetus folds towards its chest to assume the smallest anero-posterior diameter for the presenting part during delivery.

(Fetal Flexion, NCI Thesaurus)

The organ is supported in the pelvic cavity by the broad ligaments, round ligaments, cardinal ligaments, and rectouterine and vesicouterine folds or ligaments.

(Murine Corpus Uteri, NCI Thesaurus)

Not the Pope himself shall have these from me, though he sent the whole college of cardinals to ask it.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The four compass directions: northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest, located halfway between the cardinal directions.

(Ordinal Direction, NCI Thesaurus)

The estate is called Carfax, no doubt a corruption of the old Quatre Face, as the house is four-sided, agreeing with the cardinal points of the compass.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Any of three veins occurring during embryonic development including the anterior, common and posterior cardinal veins.

(Cardinal Vein, NCI Thesaurus)

It was the cardinal tenet of their mode of reasoning to start with facts and to give names to the facts.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)