English
cardinal
Cardinal comes from Latin cardinālis ‘pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that…’, and goes back to cardō.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcardō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcardinālis‘pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that on which something turns or depends’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600cardinal
- Englishearliest quotation 1613same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcardō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcardinālis‘pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that on which something turns or depends’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600cardinal
- Englishearliest quotation 1613same form
Earliest quotation: 1613, William Shakespeare, The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight: “But cardinal sins, and hollow hearts, I fear ye.”
Linked words
through Latin cardō
through Latin cardinālis ‘pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that…’
Today it means
adj Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin cardō / cardinal