cardinal virtue
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English
Etymology
See virtue and cardinal, from Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge (hence applied to that on which something turns or depends), important, principal, chief”).
Noun
cardinal virtue (plural cardinal virtues)
- (Christianity, often in the plural) One of the four foundational virtues identified by Greek and Christian philosophers, on which other virtues depend: justice, temperance, prudence, or fortitude.
- Synonym: four virtues
- Hypernym: heavenly virtues (Catholicism, less common)
Translations
one of the four foundational virtues
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Further reading
- “cardinal virtue”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.