cardinal

n. a very high-ranking priest in the Roman Catholic Church who helps choose the Pope.

n. a high-ranking official of the Roman Catholic Church, ranking below the pope and belonging to the college that elects him.

“The cardinals met in Rome to discuss the future of the church.”

“The College of Cardinals convened in a secret conclave to elect a successor to the papacy.”

n. a North American songbird; the male is famous for its bright red feathers.

n. any of several North American songbirds of the family Cardinalidae, specifically those with a prominent crest and red plumage.

“A bright red cardinal landed on the snowy branch of the tree.”

“The northern cardinal is easily identifiable by its vibrant crimson feathers and distinctive black mask around the beak.”

American English

n. a number used for counting, like one, two, or three.

n. a number denoting quantity rather than order, such as 1, 2, or 3, as opposed to an ordinal number.

“The teacher explained that 'five' is a cardinal, but 'fifth' is an ordinal.”

“In set theory, a cardinal represents the size of a set regardless of the order of its elements.”

Technical

adj. of great importance; something that everything else depends on.

adj. of primary importance; fundamental or pivotal to a system or concept.

“The cardinal rule of the kitchen is to always wash your hands first.”

“The diplomat stressed that respect for sovereignty was a cardinal principle of the new treaty.”

Formal

adj. having a deep, bright red color.

adj. of a deep, vivid red color, traditionally associated with the robes worn by church cardinals.

“She wore a cardinal silk dress that stood out in the crowd.”

“The sunset painted the horizon in cardinal hues, fading slowly into a deep purple as night fell.”

Literary