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cardinal

cardinal

50 8.4
A senior Catholic Church official who advises the Pope and votes for new Popes
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrdɪnəl/
: cardenal
  • The coverage of the cardinal's statement at the first legislative hearing demonstrated his political power.
  • bishops and cardinals
  • cardinals elect the pope
  • named a cardinal

It would be like, you know, electing a cardinal of the Catholic Church.

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Examples

  • My lord cardinal... it is the king's wish that the ceremony proceeds.

  • Will and I got an invite to the cardinal's party.

  • Ladies, we'll just be five minutes... because the senator is meeting the cardinal in the morning.

  • Our Holy Father has sent his new cardinal to advise us.

  • And this we can do, with the cardinal's permission, of course.

  • If we have an impact on public opinion in the Church, the cardinal said, the bishops will listen.

    Academic text (2014)
  • An hour later, the cardinals were all around the Pope asking him what happened.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • A few weeks later, JP II died, and this cardinal was the new Pope.

    Blog text (11)
  • As the commission ended its deliberations, the cardinal reiterated his desire that the law be changed.

    Academic text (2010)
  • The cardinal attended the ceremony to provide guidance to the faithful.

Compounds

cardinal number
  • Specialized
1 2.4

A number that shows how many things there are, not their order, for example one, two, three

1 8.9

One of the four main moral qualities: careful thinking, fairness, self-control, and courage

A tall plant from eastern North America with dense spikes of blue flowers

One of the four main directions on a compass: north, east, south, or west

A tall North American plant with bright red flowers that grows in wet places

A bright red North American bird with a crest and a thick beak that eats seeds

cardinal numeral
  • Specialized
1.6

A word or number that tells how many things there are

A small bright freshwater fish with red and blue stripes

cardinal vein
  • Specialized
9.9

A large early blood vessel in animal embryos that carries blood back to the heart

One of two large veins in an embryo that return blood to the heart

9.1

A main vein in an embryo that carries blood from the head to the heart

A North American songbird with a crest and thick bill, male bright red and female brown with red highlights

9.5

A large vein in an animal embryo that carries blood from the tail and back to the heart

How Senior

cardinal
50 8.4
archbishop
31 7.2
bishop
210 3.9
priest
∞ 1.0
deacon
31 7.4

Surface Forms

cardinal singular
cardinals plural

Etymology

Cardinal comes from the old Latin word cardo meaning 'hinge' or 'turn', so it came to mean 'main' or 'top'. A cardinal in the church is a leading priest and important adviser to the Pope, which fits that idea of being a top person.