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chamberlain
chamberlainnounan official charged with the management of the living quarters of a sovereign or member of the nobility.
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Chamberlain
Chamberlainnoun(Arthur) Neville, 1869–1940, British statesman: prime minister 1937–40.
chamberlain
1 Americannoun
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chamberlains
plural
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an official charged with the management of the living quarters of a sovereign or member of the nobility.
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an official who receives rents and revenues, as of a municipal corporation; treasurer.
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the high steward or factor of a member of the nobility.
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a high official of a royal court.
noun
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(Arthur) Neville, 1869–1940, British statesman: prime minister 1937–40.
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Joseph, 1836–1914, British statesman (father of Sir Austen and Neville Chamberlain).
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Sir (Joseph) Austen, 1863–1937, British statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1925.
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Owen, 1920–2006, U.S. physicist: Nobel Prize 1959.
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Wilt(on Norman) Wilt the Stilt, 1936–1999, U.S. basketball player.
noun
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Sir ( Joseph ) Austen. 1863–1937, British Conservative statesman; foreign secretary (1924–29); awarded a Nobel peace prize for his negotiation of the Locarno Pact (1925)
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his father, Joseph. 1836–1914, British statesman; originally a Liberal, he resigned in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland and became leader of the Liberal Unionists; a leading advocate of preferential trading agreements with members of the British Empire
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his son, ( Arthur ) Neville. 1869–1940, British Conservative statesman; prime minister (1937–40): pursued a policy of appeasement towards Germany; following the German invasion of Poland, he declared war on Germany on Sept 3, 1939
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Owen. 1920–2006, US physicist, who discovered the antiproton. Nobel prize for physics jointly with Emilio Segré 1959
noun
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an officer who manages the household of a king
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the steward of a nobleman or landowner
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the treasurer of a municipal corporation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chamberlain
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, variant of chamberlenc < Frankish *kamerling, equivalent to kamer (< Latin camera room; see chamber) + -ling -ling 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The most notable figure in the room is Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is the Pope's "camerlengo" or chamberlain and runs the Vatican until a new Pope is chosen.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
After the death of a reigning pope, the person in charge of ordinary affairs at the Vatican until the election of a new pope is the camerlengo, or chamberlain.
From Reuters ● Dec. 30, 2022
This alienated his family members, who grew resentful of the power of Askia’s head chamberlain, Ali Fulan.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
During that period, known as the “sede vacante,” or “empty See,” the camerlengo, or chamberlain, runs the administration and finances of the Holy See.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2021
I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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A letter issued by the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the Royal Household, said that following the couple's relocation there had been "a number of requests for guidance".
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The report, co-authored by social worker Clare Chamberlain and commissioned by the Department for Education, found 18 appeared to be a significant turning point.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Portfolio companies like Chamberlain pay for Ode’s services through a commercial consulting or service agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The bout was taking place on the undercard of Pierce O'Leary against Mark Chamberlain, which the home fighter lost via knockout in the 10th round.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Chamberlain said, “I’ve been talking with Buck- lin. He’s told me your problem.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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Rather than handing her children over to court chamberlains to raise, she cared for them herself.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2021
The few other people in the room were members of the imperial family, court chamberlains, ladies-in-waiting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leaders of the two houses of Parliament and the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2019
This is a man in mid-thought, quick with watchful intelligence, on equal terms with the painter; indeed, they were both chamberlains at the Spanish court.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 3, 2016
When players were shy of coming forward, the prince sometimes had his omnipresent chamberlains drum up opponents.
From Time Magazine Archive
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But the host was not to be found; and one of the chamberlains, running up as the young knight and his followers stood under the arch, demanded, "What's your will, sir?"
From Agincourt The Works of G. P. R. James, Volume XX by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.