Etymology: Originally (i) < post-classical Latin cardinalis member of the Sacred College (late 8th cent.; frequently from 12th cent. in British sources), cardinal virtue (15th cent. in a British source), use as noun of classical Latin cardinālis cardinal adj. In later use also partly (ii) < cardinal adj.Parallels in other European languages. Compare Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French cardinal member of the Sacred College (12th cent.; also in Old French as chardenal ), Portuguese cardeal (13th cent.), Italian cardinale (early 13th cent.). Compare also in Germanic languages Middle Dutch cardinael (mid 13th cent.; Dutch kardinaal ), Middle High German kardenāl , kardināl (c1200; German Kardinal ), Swedish kardinal (early 16th cent.), Old Danish kardinal (mid 13th cent.; Danish kardinal ). Semantic influence from French. Anglo-Norman and Middle French, French cardinal is also attested earlier than the English word in a number of corresponding senses, which it is likely to have influenced: cardinal number (end of the 15th cent.), variety of red apple (mid 17th cent.; compare also pomme à la cardinale (17th cent.)), name of a species of bird with red plumage (1680). Notes on senses. With sense 10 perhaps compare Italian †chardenale a type of purplish-red fabric. In sense 11 after German Kardinal, the name of a drink made with red wine (1820, as †Cardinal , or earlier in this sense). With sense 12 and cardinal red adj. and n. compare earlier cardinal adj. 7 designating a scarlet colour, and see also foreign-language parallels cited in the etymology at that entry. Compare also cardinalize v. 2, attested earlier in the corresponding sense.

Etymology: Partly (i) < Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French, French cardinal designating the four principal virtues (late 13th cent., earliest in vertu cardinal cardinal virtue), designating the four principal points of the horizon (end of the 13th cent. in Old French in vant quardonal cardinal wind); partly (ii) < its etymon classical Latin cardinālis that serves as a hinge, in post-classical Latin also principal, chief (4th cent. in virtutes cardinales cardinal virtues, 5th cent. in venti cardinales cardinal winds; 6th cent. in presbyter cardinalis cardinal priest and diaconus cardinalis cardinal deacon: see sense 2) < cardin- , cardo hinge (see cardo n.) + -ālis -al suffix¹; and partly (iii, in branch III.) < cardinal n.Parallels in other European languages. Compare Old Occitan cardinal , Catalan cardinal (both 14th cent.), Spanish cardenal (end of the 15th cent.), Portuguese cardeal (13th cent.), cardinal (1675), Italian cardinale (end of the 13th cent. in virtù cardinale cardinal virtue, 14th cent. in venti cardinali cardinal winds), all in sense ‘principal, chief’. Compare also Middle Dutch cardinael principal, chief (beginning of the 14th cent. designating the four cardinal virtues; Dutch kardinaal ). Semantic development. The parent noun classical Latin cardo already denoted each of the four cardinal points of the horizon and each of the four cardinal points of the ecliptic; this may have led to a secondary association with the numeral four that could have contributed to the application of post-classical Latin cardinalis to the four cardinal virtues, and later application to other sets of four, as for instance the cardinal humours (see cardinal humour n. at Compounds). Many senses and compounds of the word in English, as in French, ultimately reflect specific senses and compounds in post-classical Latin. See notes at individual senses and lemmas. With use in sense 4 compare cardinal number n. and forms in post-classical Latin and French cited at that entry. Compare also Spanish cardenal , adjective (1586 or earlier in this sense). Compare also cardinal n. 5, attested earlier in this sense. With cardinal sign at sense 6a compare post-classical Latin signa cardinalia , plural (13th cent. in a British source). With use designating a scarlet colour, compare earlier cardinalize v. 2. Compare also Italian †chardenale purplish-red coloured (2nd half of the 13th cent. ).