Cardiff

IPA/kˈɑːdɪf/
KK[kˈɑrdɪf]IPA/kˈɑːrdɪf/

Cardiff — noun

1. Wales' capital city, in the southern part of the UK beside the Bristol Channel.

1.nounA2
Definition

Wales' capital city, in the southern part of the UK beside the Bristol Channel. It also has principal-area status, with an elected council that runs local public services.

Example

Cardiff is the capital of Wales, where the Welsh Parliament meets.

proper noun: used without 'the'

Ravindra took the early train from London to Cardiff for the Six Nations match.

place name: Principality Stadium is Cardiff's national rugby venue

Common collocations
  • capital of Wales
  • Cardiff Castle
  • Cardiff University
  • Cardiff Bay
  • Cardiff City

Usage Note

Cardiff is a proper noun and is typically used without the definite article 'the', except in descriptive phrases such as 'the city of Cardiff' or 'the Cardiff area'.

2. one of the principal areas of Wales, covering about 140 square kilometres in the

2.nounB2
Definition

one of the principal areas of Wales, covering about 140 square kilometres in the south of the country, with its own elected council responsible for local services.

Example

Council tax in the Cardiff principal area funds rubbish collection and school maintenance.

used to refer to the local government entity, not the urban area; collocation: Cardiff principal area

Voters in the Cardiff area choose local councillors every five years at polling stations.

Common collocations
  • Cardiff Council
  • Cardiff principal area
  • Cardiff local authority
  • Cardiff boundary

Usage Note

This sense refers to the local-government entity (the principal area) rather than the urban city. Official documents and government contexts most commonly use this meaning, often in phrases like 'Cardiff Council' or 'the Cardiff principal area'.

3. a city and seaport on the Bristol Channel in south Wales which has served as a m

3.nounB1
Definition

a city and seaport on the Bristol Channel in south Wales which has served as a major hub for shipping, especially during the coal-export era of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Example

Cardiff was once one of the world's busiest coal-exporting ports on the Bristol Channel.

historical context: coal-exporting port on the Bristol Channel

Cardiff Bay, once a busy coal dock, now has the Senedd building and a modern waterfront.

place: Cardiff Bay; Senedd = Welsh Parliament building

Common collocations
  • Cardiff Bay
  • Cardiff harbour
  • Cardiff docks
  • Bristol Channel
  • coal export

Usage Note

This sense emphasises Cardiff's geographic and economic role as a port city. It appears most often in historical or geographical writing about the city's harbour, docks, and maritime trade.

Word family

  • Cardiffian
    nounC2

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the city of Cardiff
  • Cardiff City Centre
  • the Cardiff area
  • Cardiff Bay

Prepositions

Etymology

WelshEnglish

The name Cardiff comes from the Welsh name Caerdydd (pronounced /kaːɨrˈdɨːð/), which combines caer meaning 'fort' or 'castle' and Taf, the name of the River Taff that flows through the city. The original fort was built by the Romans around AD 75, and the Normans later built a stone castle on the same site, around which the modern city grew.