the four main points of the compass: north, south, east, and west
cardinal points in American English
the four principal points of the compass; north, south, east, and west
cardinal points in American English
plural noun
the four chief directions of the compass; the north, south, east, and west points
Word origin
[1540–50]This word is first recorded in the period 1540–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cabinet, machine, parallel, platform, telltale
Examples of 'cardinal points' in a sentence
cardinal points
Ten test stations were sited in the four cardinal points of the compass and with reference to the farmhouse.
Sunthorn Sotthibandhu 2003, 'Territorial defense of the red-whiskered bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus (Pycnonotidae),in a semi-wild habitat of the bird farm', Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology (SJST)http://www.sjst.psu.ac.th/journal/25-5-pdf/01territory.pdf. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)