Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Warm and sincere; friendly.
  • adjective Polite and respectful; formally pleasant.
  • adjective Strongly felt; fervent.
  • adjective Archaic Invigorating; stimulating. Used especially of a beverage.
  • noun A liqueur.
  • noun An invigorating or medicinal drink; a tonic.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of or pertaining to the heart.
  • Proceeding from the heart or from kindly and earnest feeling; exhibiting kindly feeling or warmth of heart; hearty; sincere; warmly friendly; affectionate.
  • Reviving the spirits; cheering; invigorating; imparting strength or cheerfulness.
  • Synonyms Sincere, etc. See hearty.
  • noun Something that invigorates, comforts, gladdens, or exhilarates.
  • noun A medicine or draught which increases the action of the heart and stimulates the circulation; a warm stomachic; any medicine which increases strength, dispels languor, and promotes cheerfulness.
  • noun A sweet and aromatic liquor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective obsolete Proceeding from the heart.
  • adjective Hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
  • adjective Tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate; giving strength or spirits.
  • noun Anything that comforts, gladdens, and exhilarates.
  • noun (Med) Any invigorating and stimulating preparation.
  • noun (Com.) Aromatized and sweetened spirit, used as a beverage; a liqueur.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate.
  • adjective Said of someone radiating warmth and friendliness; genial.
  • adjective rare Tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate; giving strength or spirits.
  • noun UK, Australia, New Zealand A concentrated noncarbonated soft drink which is diluted with water before drinking.
  • noun A pleasant-tasting medicine.
  • noun A liqueur prepared using the infusion process.
  • noun A candy (or bonbon) usually made of milk chocolate, filled with small fruits (often maraschino cherries) and syrup or fondant.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective diffusing warmth and friendliness
  • adjective sincerely or intensely felt
  • adjective politely warm and friendly
  • noun strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, of the heart, from Medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor, cord-, heart; see kerd- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French cordial ("stimulating the heart"), from Late Latin cordialis, from cor.

Support

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Examples

  • Hailemariam made clear, however, that the report would not affect what he called the "cordial relationship" between Addis Ababa and Washington.

    Ethiopia Declines to Respond to US Rights Charges 2011

  • Hailemariam made clear, however, that the report would not affect what he called the "cordial relationship" between Addis Ababa and Washington.

    Ethiopia Declines to Respond to US Rights Charges 2011

  • Hailemariam made clear, however, that the report would not affect what he called the "cordial relationship" between Addis Ababa and Washington.

    Ethiopia Declines to Respond to US Rights Charges 2011

  • Company spokesman Allen Cohen on Friday said the ads will be removed "in an expeditious manner" after what he described as a cordial conversation late Thursday with White House counsel Kendall Burman, who requested their prompt removal.

    WIBW - HomePage - Headlines 2010

  • Company spokesman Allen Cohen on Friday said the ads will be removed "in an expeditious manner" after what he described as a cordial conversation late Thursday with White House counsel Kendall Burman, who requested their prompt removal.

    WIBW - HomePage - Headlines 2010

  • Company spokesman Allen Cohen on Friday said the ads will be removed "in an expeditious manner" after what he described as a cordial conversation late Thursday with White House counsel Kendall Burman, who requested their prompt removal.

    WIBW - HomePage - Headlines 2010

  • Those discussions, which took place between Sen. Jon Kyl R-Ariz. and top economic adviser Gene Sperling, were described as cordial compared to the earlier ones.

    Obama Warns Cantor As Debt Talks Stall: 'Don't Call My Bluff' 2011

  • Another defendant, Alphaville Design Inc., of Fremont, Calif., says it is in "cordial talks" with Herman Miller.

    In Design, Chair and Chair Alike Anjali Athavaley 2010

  • “Time is always a great healer,” Vernon Jordan, a longtime friend of the Clintons, said in an interview as he left the event, which he described as a cordial affair.

    Obama-Clinton Meeting Fest - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • “Time is always a great healer,” Vernon Jordan, a longtime friend of the Clintons, said in an interview as he left the event, which he described as a cordial affair.

    Obama-Clinton Meeting Fest - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

Comments

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  • mm.. lime cordial.

    May 28, 2008

  • Archaically, the word also referred to the heart. Someone asked me to use it in a sentence that way:

    "The witch doctor made a grievous error in selected an herbal remedy for the chieftan; he had perscribed root of soulsbane thinking the ailment was renal, but it was actually cordial."

    August 25, 2008

  • Interesting, Evin. So does this mean the basic idea behind "cordial" as an alcoholic beverage is that it is good for the heart?

    August 25, 2008

  • "Dr. Betterson's Cordial, to be taken in the Small-Pox, when Wine alone is not sufficient to keep up the Spirits.

    Take Compound Wormwood Water, Aqua Mirabilis, each Three Ounces, Tincture of Saffron, an Ounce and half; Oil of Nutmegs, Three Drops; Oil of Cinnamon, Two Drops; Sugar of Pearl, as much as will suffice; mix for a Julep: Of which take Two or Three Spoonfuls under Faintness, often in a Day.

    Note

    , This Method has been tried with vast Success in Wiltshire, and in the Neighbourhood of Malmsbury, from the Direction of this Letter."

    Virginia Gazette, Jan. 7, 1737

    Hey, at least it isn't as poisonous as tar-water.

    January 29, 2009

  • We all remember Anne setting Diana drunk on what she thought was raspberry cordial.

    April 17, 2009

  • Fun note on apothecary.

    November 28, 2017