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Glite Dictionary
cardinal numeral

cardinal numeral

1.6
A word or number that tells how many things there are
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑrdɪnəl ˈnʊmərəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : numeral cardinal
  • The numbers 'three' and 'seven' are both cardinal numerals in English.

Examples

  • Teachers often ask students to write cardinal numerals in both digits and words.

  • A cardinal numeral represents a specific quantity.

  • A cardinal numeral tells us how many objects are in a group.

  • The number three is a cardinal numeral.

  • A cardinal numeral tells us how many objects are in a group.

  • The numbers 'three' and 'seven' are both cardinal numerals in English.

  • Teachers often ask students to write cardinal numerals in both digits and words.

Synonyms

number
vscardinal numeral
∞ 1.0

A symbol or word that shows how many items there are

is narrower, focusing specifically on symbols that express countable quantity
cardinal number
vscardinal numeral
  • Specialized
1 2.4

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

is the same idea but expressed as a counting numeral

Surface Forms

cardinal numeral singular
cardinal numerals plural

Morphology

cardinal + numeral

The meaning 'a numeral expressing countable quantity' is directly compositional from 'cardinal' (pertaining to quantity rather than order) + 'numeral' (a written sign for a number). Although somewhat technical, the semantic combination is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should grasp the MWE.

Etymology

Cardinal numeral may come from the idea that cardinal means 'main' and numeral means a number, so it names the main numbers we use to count. Think of one, two, three as the basic numbers that tell us 'how many', which is why cardinal numerals mean counting numbers today.