cardinal

A senior Catholic Church official who helps choose a new pope.

• The cardinal met the pope.
• Several cardinals attended the ceremony in Rome.
• A new pope is chosen by the cardinals.

Common phrases: Catholic cardinal, appoint a cardinal

A songbird from the Americas; the male of the best-known kind is bright red.

• A cardinal landed on the fence.
• Two cardinals visited our bird feeder.
• We heard a cardinal singing outside the window.

Common phrases: red cardinal, male cardinal, cardinal nest, cardinal song

A deep red colour like the clothing worn by senior Catholic Church officials.

• She chose cardinal for the curtains.
• The painter mixed cardinal with a little brown.
• The cloth was a rich shade of cardinal.

Similar words: cardinal red

Common phrases: cardinal red, deep cardinal

So important that other ideas or actions depend on it.

• Safety is our cardinal rule.
• He broke the cardinal principle of patient privacy.
• Ignoring your audience is a cardinal mistake in public speaking.

Similar words: fundamental, essential, crucial

Common phrases: cardinal rule, cardinal sin, cardinal principle

Relating to north, south, east, and west.

• North is a cardinal direction.
• The map shows all four cardinal points.
• A compass helps you find the cardinal directions.

Common phrases: cardinal directions, cardinal points, cardinal mark

Describing numbers that tell you how many things there are, such as one, two, and three.

• Five is a cardinal number.
• Use cardinal numbers to say how many chairs you need.
• The teacher explained the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers.

Opposites: ordinal

Common phrases: cardinal number, cardinal numeral