What does incardination mean?
Incardination is the formal appointment of a person to the rank of cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. It normally occurs when the pope creates or formally elevates someone to the cardinalate, often at a public consistory or other ceremonial occasion. The term has a formal, institutional tone and is uncommon in everyday speech. In historical library terminology, incardination could also refer to placing a card into a card catalogue or recording an entry in such a catalogue. Although the ecclesiastical sense is the best known today, the word is still much more common in historical and technical contexts than in general modern usage. Incardination should not be confused with incarnation: the former concerns appointment as a cardinal, while the latter concerns becoming human in human form or flesh, particularly within Christian theology.
nounThe formal appointment or elevation of a person to the rank of cardinal. The word has also been used historically for the act or process of inserting a card into a card catalogue.
- The appointment or elevation of a person to the rank of cardinal.
- The historical act or process of placing a card into a card catalogue.
"The pope announced the incardination of four new cardinals during the consistory."
"The incardination of the new cardinals took place during a public ceremony."
"Each title was recorded as a separate incardination in the library's card catalogue."
The ecclesiastical sense can be used as a countable noun or as an uncountable noun denoting the process. The historical catalogue sense is usually countable.
"The ceremony included the incardinations of four newly appointed cardinals."
To be incardinated is to become one of the Roman Catholic Church's cardinals, the celebrated red-hatted electors of the pope.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does incardination come from?
The word comes through ecclesiastical Latin from incardināre, “to make or install as a cardinal,” with the abstract noun incardinātiō meaning the appointment. Its ultimate components include the Latin prefix in- and cardō, related to cardinal and cardinalis, “principal” or “chief.” The separate sense connected with inserting cards into a catalogue also reflects the word's older association with cards and card indexes.
Related word forms
How incardination is actually used
In modern usage, the word is chiefly formal and ecclesiastical. It is uncommon outside discussions of the College of Cardinals and the formal appointment of cardinals; the catalogue sense belongs mainly to historical library terminology.
Easily confused with incardination
Incardination means appointment to the rank of cardinal, whereas incarnation refers to the taking on of human form or flesh, especially in Christian theology.