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cordial

[kawr-juhl or, esp. British, -dee-uhl]
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adjective
  1. courteous and gracious; friendly; warm: a cordial reception.
  2. invigorating the heart; stimulating.
  3. sincere; heartfelt: a cordial dislike.
  4. Archaic. of or relating to the heart.
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noun
  1. a strong, sweetened, aromatic alcoholic liquor; liqueur.
  2. a stimulating medicine.
  3. anything that invigorates or exhilarates.
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Origin of cordial

1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin cordiālis, equivalent to Latin cordi- (stem of cor) heart + -ālis -al1
Related formscor·dial·ly, adverbcor·dial·ness, nounpre·cor·dial, adjectivequa·si-cor·dial, adjectivequa·si-cor·dial·ly, adverbsu·per·cor·dial, adjectivesu·per·cor·dial·ly, adverbsu·per·cor·dial·ness, nounun·cor·dial, adjectiveun·cor·dial·ly, adverbun·cor·dial·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. affectionate, genial. 2. cheering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

warmlykindlyhospitably

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British Dictionary definitions for cordially

cordial

adjective
  1. warm and friendlya cordial greeting
  2. giving heart; stimulating
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noun
  1. a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunklime cordial
  2. another word for liqueur
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Derived Formscordially, adverbcordialness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor heart
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

Word Origin and History for cordially

adv.

late 15c., "by heart," from cordial + -ly (2). Meaning "heartily" is from 1530s; weakened sense of "with friendliness" is attested by 1781.

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cordial

adj.

late 14c., "of the heart," from Middle French cordial, from Medieval Latin cordialis "of or for the heart," from Latin cor (genitive cordis) "heart" (see heart). Meaning "heartfelt, from the heart" is mid-15c. The noun is late 14c., originally "medicine, food, or drink that stimulates the heart." Related: Cordiality.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper