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Intermediate Dictionary
       

car·di·nal

cardinal

 
pronunciation:
kar d nl
parts of speech:
noun, adjective
features:
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part of speech: noun
definition 1: an official of the Roman Catholic Church who is chosen by the pope and is second in rank to him.
similar words:
archbishop, bishop, priest
definition 2: a North American songbird with a crest of feathers on its head. Male cardinals have bright red feathers and a black face and throat.
 
similar words:
bird, finch, songbird
 
part of speech: adjective
definition: very important.
It is a cardinal rule that everyone be quiet in the library.
synonyms:
first, foremost, main, primary, prime, principal
antonyms:
secondary, unimportant
similar words:
basic, central, chief, essential, fundamental, key, lead
derivations: cardinally (adv.), cardinalship (n.)
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  bird