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| car·di·nal [ krd'nəl ] |
noun (plural car·di·nals) |
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| Definition: |
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1. christianity Roman Catholic dignitary: in the Roman Catholic Church, one of the group of clergy, next in rank to the pope, who elect the pope from their own number and act as his advisers
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2. colors deep red: a deep strong red color, like that of the robes of a cardinal
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3. birds bright red bird: a crested finch, the male of which has bright red plumage with a black face. Native to: North America. Latin name Cardinalis cardinalis.
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4. mathematics
Same as cardinal number
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5. dress woman's hooded cape: a woman's short cape with a hood, originally scarlet in color, that was worn in the 17th and 18th centuries
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adjective |
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| Definition: |
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1. important: fundamentally important
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2. colors bright red: of a deep strong red color
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| [12th century. Via French< Latin cardinalis< cardin- "hinge"] |
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  car·di·nal·ly adverb |
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