Page "Cardinal (Catholicism)" Paragraph 3

The term cardinal at one time applied to any priest permanently assigned or incardinated to a church, or specifically to the senior priest of an important church, based on the Latin cardo ( hinge ), meaning " principal " or " chief ".

The term was applied in this sense as early as the ninth century to the priests of the tituli ( parishes ) of the diocese of Rome.

A remnant of these earlier cardinals is retained by the Church of England, where the title of " cardinal " is still held by the two senior members of the College of Minor Canons of St Paul's Cathedral.