chancery

[ chan-suh-ree ]

noun

, plural chan·cer·ies.

1. the office or department of a chancellor; chancellery.
2. an office of public records, especially those of the Lord Chancellor in England.
3. (in England) the Lord Chancellor's court, now a division of the High Court of Justice.
4. Law.
   1. Also called court of chancery. a court having jurisdiction in equity; court of equity.
   2. equity ( defs 4a, 4b ).
5. the administrative office of a diocese.
6. Roman Catholic Church. a department of the Curia Romana now having the responsibility for issuing bulls to establish new dioceses, benefices, etc.

chancery

/ ˈtʃɑːnsərɪ /

noun

1. Also calledChancery Division (in England) the Lord Chancellor's court, now a division of the High Court of Justice
2. Also calledcourt of chancery (in the US) a court of equity
3. the political section or offices of an embassy or legation
4. another name for chancellery
5. a court of public records; archives
6. Christianity a diocesan office under the supervision of a bishop's chancellor, having custody of archives, issuing official enactments, etc
7. in chancery
   1. law (of a suit) pending in a court of equity
   2. wrestling boxing (of a competitor's head) locked under an opponent's arm
   3. in an awkward or helpless situation

Word History and Origins

Origin of chancery¹

1325–75; Middle English chancerie, variant of chancelrie, syncopated variant of chancellerie chancellery

Word History and Origins

Origin of chancery¹

C14: shortened from chancellery

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in chancery,
   1. Law. in litigation in a court of chancery.
   2. Wrestling, Boxing. (of a contestant's head) held under an opponent's arm.
   3. in a helpless or embarrassing position.

Example Sentences

The idea that shareholders can retrospectively validate a corporate action overturned in Chancery Court is “divorced from the realities of Delaware law,” observed Charles M. Elson, one of the nation’s recognized authorities on the topic, in a May 13 legal brief.

From Los Angeles Times

Musk reacted to McCormick’s ruling by proposing to take oversight of Tesla’s government out of the Delaware Chancery Court’s hands through a reincorporation in Texas.

From Los Angeles Times

Tesla’s board had called for the vote in response to a ruling by Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Court of Chancery in Delaware, where Tesla is registered as a corporation.

From New York Times

But the filing with the email address was faxed from a toll-free number designed to serve North America; it was included in documents sent to the Chancery Court in Shelby County, Tenn., where the foreclosure case is still pending.

From New York Times

At Wednesday’s hearing at Chancery Court in Shelby County, Tenn., the judge, Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins, said he needed to continue the case.

From New York Times