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cardĭnālis , e, adj. cardo.
I. Of or pertaining to a door-hinge: “scapi,” Vitr. 4, 6, 4.—
II. Trop., that on which something turns, depends, i. e. principal, chief: venti, the principal or cardinal winds, Serv. ad Verg. A. 1, 131; Isid. Orig. 13, 11, 14; cf. virtutes, Hier ap. Macr. S. 1, 16-19; Ambros. ap. Luc. 5, § 49 al.—Hence, in late Lat.: cardinalia Christi opera, Cypr.—
B. Esp.
1. As eccl. term; subst., a chief presbyter, as opp. to one who ministered in an Oratorium; and esp. of such forming the council of the Pope at Rome, which afterwards consisted only of bishops, cardinals, Anast. p. 95.—
2. In gram.: numeri, the Cardinal Numbers (unus, duo, tres, etc., from which the Ordinals and Distributives are formed), Prisc. Pond. p. 1351 P.—Hence, * cardĭ-nālĭter , adv., chiefly, principally: praesidere, especially, Firm. Math. 410.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (2):
    • Vitruvius, On Architecture, 4.6.4
    • Lucan, Civil War, 5.49
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