chancellor
Americannoun
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the chief minister of state in certain parliamentary governments, as in Germany; prime minister; premier.
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the chief administrative officer in certain American universities.
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a secretary, as to a king or noble or of an embassy.
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the priest in charge of a Roman Catholic chancery.
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the title of various important judges and other high officials.
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(in some states of the U.S.) the judge of a court of equity or chancery.
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British. the honorary, nonresident, titular head of a university.
noun
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the head of the government in several European countries
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the president of a university or, in some colleges, the chief administrative officer
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the honorary head of a university Compare vice chancellor
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(in some states) the presiding judge of a court of chancery or equity
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the chief secretary of an embassy
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Christianity a clergyman acting as the law officer of a bishop
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archaic the chief secretary of a prince, nobleman, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chancellor
before 1100; Middle English chanceler < Anglo-French < Late Latin cancellārius doorkeeper, literally, man at the barrier ( see chancel, -er 2); replacing Middle English canceler, Old English ≪ Late Latin, as above
Explanation
Use the noun chancellor to describe the president of your college, or the head of the German government. The word chancellor is often capitalized, depending on whom it's being used to describe. Many governments use the term to describe people with varying amounts of power, from the head of state to judges and financial officials. The head of a university is frequently called a chancellor too. The Latin root is cancellarius, an usher or guard in a court of law.
Vocabulary lists containing chancellor
Name That Job: Occupational Last Names
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Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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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.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who addressed the event via live video link from Berlin, said the plant opening "has direct strategic significance for our digital sovereignty, our economic resilience and our independence".
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
"The highest earners in this country will therefore take on a larger share" of the tax burden, said Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the SPD.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
In an interview, UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons was unambiguous: “Full stop, this is going to be a nonpartisan institute. The fact that we are public means the standard is even higher.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Berkeley Chancellor Richard Lyons made a distinction between Pelosi the partisan political leader and Pelosi the public servant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
“Epsilon-5 was clear you are to follow Zeta-1’s instructions. And if you do not, I will report you to Chancellor Nyla myself.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
