Etymograph

English

pseudocardinal

From pseudo- + cardinal.

A compound of pseudo- + cardinal

Ancient Greek ψεύδω ‘to lie’

Ancient Greek ψευδής ‘false, lying’

English pseudo-

Latin cardō

Latin cardinālis ‘pertaining to a hinge, hence applied to that…’

Middle French cardinal

English cardinal

Today it means

noun A cardinal appointed by an antipope and consequently seen as illegitimate by the pope and those who recognize him.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pseudocardinal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / pseudocardinal