cardinals in petto
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Cardinals chosen by the Pope, but not yet publicly announced. Their names are in pectore (of the Pope).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cardinals in petto” mean?
Cardinals chosen by the Pope, but not yet publicly announced. Their names are in pectore (of the Pope).
Is “cardinals in petto” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.