Main Entry:: ¹car·di·nal
Pronunciation:: \ˈkärd-nəl, ˈkär-də-\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cardinalis, from Late Latin cardinalis, adjective
Date:: 12th century

1: a high ecclesiastical official of the Roman Catholic Church who ranks next below the pope and is appointed by him to assist him as a member of the college of cardinals2: cardinal number —usually used in plural3[from its color, resembling that of the cardinal's robes] : a crested finch (Cardinalis cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae) of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada, the southwestern United States, and Mexico to Belize which has a black face and heavy red bill in both sexes and is nearly completely red in the male

— car·di·nal·ship

\-ˌship\ noun

[cardinal illustration]

Learn more about "cardinal" and related topics at Britannica.com

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