kardinaalsed

Kardinaalsed is an Estonian adjective meaning cardinal in the sense of fundamental, principal, or related to cardinal concepts. The form is used as the plural nominative of the adjective kardinaalne, and it appears in various technical contexts to describe things associated with cardinality, cardinal directions, or the ecclesiastical rank.

In mathematics, kardinaalsed arvud refers to cardinal numbers, which express the size of a set. Cardinality distinguishes finite sizes from infinite ones, a central idea in set theory. The concept encompasses the sizes of common sets as well as larger infinities studied in modern mathematics.

In geography and navigation, kardinaalsed suunad denotes the four principal compass directions—north, south, east, and west—emphasizing their role as primary reference points for orientation and mapping.

In ecclesiastical contexts, kardinaalsed relates to cardinals, the senior clergy within the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used to describe things pertaining to cardinals or their offices, such as kardinaalsed rankid, kardinaalse ametikoha associated matters, or kardinaalsed õigused in institutional discussions.

The word derives from Latin cardinalis and has entered Estonian through European scholarly and religious terminology. While most common in formal or academic writing, kardinaalsed appears in dictionaries and technical texts to signal a connection to cardinality, cardinal directions, or the ecclesiastical rank.

See also: kardinaalne, kardinal (religion), cardinality, cardinal numbers, cardinal directions.