cardinal virtue

See virtue and cardinal, from Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge (hence applied to that on which something turns or depends), important, principal, chief”).

cardinal virtue (plural cardinal virtues)

1. (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)

• “cardinal virtue”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.