cardinal

Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.

• a cardinal rule

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

• a cardinal mark

Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (e.g., zero, one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.

Having a bright red color (from the color of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).

Being one of the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, associated with initiation, creation, and force.

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.countableuncountable

• 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.

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.)countableuncountable

• 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 t

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

• 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.

Ellipsis of cardinal number, a number indicating quantity, or the size of a set (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3). (See Cardinal_number.)abbreviationalt-ofcountable

• 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 inf

Ellipsis of cardinal numeral, a word used to represent a cardinal number.abbreviationalt-ofcountable

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

Ellipsis of cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), a flowering plant.abbreviationalt-ofcountable

• 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.

Ellipsis of cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), a freshwater fish.abbreviationalt-ofcountable

A woman's short cloak with a hood, originally made of scarlet cloth.countablehistoricaluncountable

• […]; 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.

Mulled red wine.countableobsoleteuncountable

• 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.