←

cardinal

noun
🔊/ˈkɑːdɪnl/
🔊/ˈkɑːrdɪnl/
jump to other results
  1. a priest of the highest rank in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinals elect and advise the Pope.枢机；枢机主教
    • Cardinal Newman纽曼枢机主教
    Topics Religion and festivalsc2
  2. (also cardinal number)
     a number, such as 1, 2 and 3 (or one, two and three), used to show quantity rather than order基数；纯数 compare ordinalTopics Maths and measurementc2, Languagec2
  3. a North American bird. The male cardinal is bright red.红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）Topics Birdsc2
    4. Word OriginOld English, from Latin cardinalis, from cardo, cardin- ‘hinge’. Sense (1) has arisen through the notion of the important function of such priests as “pivots” of church life.

cardinal

adjective
🔊/ˈkɑːdɪnl/
🔊/ˈkɑːrdɪnl/
[only before noun] (formal)
jump to other results
  1. most important; having other things based on it最重要的；基本的
    • Respect for life is a cardinal principle of English law.尊重生命是英国法律最重要的原则。🔊🔊
    Oxford Collocations DictionaryCardinal is used with these nouns:
    • archbishop
    • direction
    • importance
    • …
    See full entry
    Word OriginOld English, from Latin cardinalis, from cardo, cardin- ‘hinge’. Sense (1) has arisen through the notion of the important function of such priests as “pivots” of church life.