Definition

1. Noun:
   • Cardinal: A high-ranking official in the Catholic Church, appointed by the Pope, who is a member of the College of Cardinals and is eligible to participate in a papal conclave.
   • Cardinal (as a title): The title itself, often used before a name (e.g., Hồng y Phêrô).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Đức Hồng y Phanxicô Xaviê Nguyễn Văn Thuận là một nhân vật được kính trọng. (Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận is a respected figure.)
  • Hội đồng Hồng y sẽ họp tại Vatican. (The College of Cardinals will meet at the Vatican.)
  • Ngài được bổ nhiệm làm hồng y vào năm ngoái. (He was appointed a cardinal last year.)

Advanced Usage

• "Hồng y giáo chủ": This is a fuller, more formal title meaning "Cardinal", but it is less commonly used in modern Vietnamese than simply "hồng y". It directly translates to "cardinal religious leader".
  • Hồng y giáo chủ là một chức vụ quan trọng trong Giáo hội Công giáo. (The Cardinal is an important position in the Catholic Church.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hồng y đoàn / Hội đồng Hồng y: The College of Cardinals.
• Chức hồng y: The cardinalate; the office or rank of a cardinal.
• Mũ hồng y: A cardinal's hat (a galero), symbolizing the office.

Synonyms

• Cardinal (English loanword, used in specific contexts): The direct English equivalent.
• Giáo chủ: A religious leader or patriarch (broader term, not a direct synonym but part of the compound "hồng y giáo chủ").

Notes on Meaning

• The word "hồng y" is used almost exclusively in a Catholic religious context. It does not have other common meanings in modern Vietnamese.
• The reference to "y học" (medicine) in some historical dictionaries is likely an error or an extremely archaic/obscure usage not found in contemporary language. The primary and only standard meaning is the religious title.

1. như hồng y giáo chủ