cardinal points

American  

plural noun

1. the four chief directions of the compass; the north, south, east, and west points.

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cardinal points British  

plural noun

1. the four main points of the compass: north, south, east, and west

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Etymology

Origin of cardinal points

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

For each of the four cheers, the king turned in a different direction to represent the cardinal points of the compass.

From Seattle Times

Activists have dubbed Thursday’s demonstration in Lima as the Cuatro Suyos March, a reference to the four cardinal points of the Inca empire.

From Seattle Times

We had visited the tiny playground here years ago but usually bypassed this area for the charms of nearby Parc Montsouris, one of four 19th-century public parks created by Baron Haussmann at the cardinal points of the compass around Paris.

From Washington Post

In this story from 1951, club pro Buck White shows off what golf instruction of the day interpreted to be the five "cardinal points" of the golf swing.

From Golf Digest

Archaeoastronomers — those who study how ancient people related to the sky — tell us that many of the walls and windows at Chaco are aligned with cardinal points, the sun and other stars, and the buildings functioned as an observatory and calendar.

From New York Times