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 • May 6, 2023

“The cardinal points are always, historically, metaphors,” Cooper says.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019

The little number that lies between three and five is considered a symbol of symmetry and a harbinger for the four cardinal points, the four seasons and even the four primary phases of the moon.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2018

The West is a concept, not a location: the United States, Germany and Japan, for instance, can all be Western in crucial ways — cultures, currencies and cardinal points be damned.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2017

Set down with geometric precision at the cardinal points were four monumental slabs of the same alien metal as the citadel.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor