cardinality

American

[kahr-dn-al-i-tee] / ˌkɑr dnˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

Mathematics.

(of a set) the cardinal number indicating the number of elements in the set.

cardinality British

/ ˌkɑːdɪˈnælɪtɪ /

noun

maths the property of possessing a cardinal number
maths logic (of a class) the cardinal number associated with the given class. Two classes have the same cardinality if they can be put in one-to-one correspondence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

cardinalities

plural

Etymology

Origin of cardinality

First recorded in 1930–35; cardinal + -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cardinality is not the only notion to describe the size of a set.

From Scientific American • Aug. 16, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023