Cardinal

The word cardinal comes from the Latin cardo for "hinge" and usually refers to things of fundamental importance, as in cardinal rule or cardinal sins.

• In mathematics, cardinal is short for cardinal number.

• In Catholicism, a cardinal is a prince of the Church; cardinals are appointed by the Pope and collectively elect the next Pope if they are under the age of eighty at the time of the election. The cardinals are divided into three orders or categories: cardinal deacons, cardinal priests, and cardinal bishops. The cardinal priests were the pastors of major churches in Rome and the cardinal deacons were important administrators in the diocese. The cardinal bishops were the bishops of the six dioceses surrounding Rome. See Cardinal (Catholicism).

• Cardinal is a vivid red color like the color of the robe of a cardinal.

• In ornithology, a cardinal is a songbird of the family Cardinalidae or more often the genus Cardinalis, in North America especially the Northern Cardinal, C. cardinalis. Males of this species are cardinal red, hence the name.

• In aviation, a Cardinal refers to a Cessna 177 aircraft.

• In sports, the Cardinals are:
  • A baseball team in St. Louis, Missouri (see St. Louis Cardinals).
  • An American football team in Arizona (see Arizona Cardinals).
  • The mascot for the Kentucky based University of Louisville intercollegiate sports teams.
  • The mascot for the South Carolina based Landrum High School intercollegiate sports teams.
  • Furthermore, the Cardinal (singular, referring to the color) is the mascot for teams from Stanford University, California .

• Cardinal is a Swiss beer brand.

• Douglas J Cardinal is a renowned Canadian architect.

• The Cardinal was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad between Chicago and St. Louis, MO.

There are places that have the name Cardinal in North America

• Cardinal, Ontario
• Cardinal, a settlement in Mathews County, Virginia