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cardinal

cardinal

adjective kahr-dee-NAHL Rare

Origin: From Latin cardinalis, 'principal, chief', from cardo (stem cardin-), 'hinge'.

Also means

fundamental

Usage Note

Cardinal means 'of fundamental importance' (los puntos cardinales — the cardinal compass points: norte, sur, este, oeste). In grammar, número cardinal refers to a counting number (one, two, three) as opposed to an ordinal. As a noun, el cardenal (note the extra -e-) refers to the Catholic church official or the bruise/hematoma in informal speech.

Examples

"Los cuatro puntos cardinales son norte, sur, este y oeste."

Natural Translation

The four cardinal points are north, south, east, and west.

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