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chamberlain

1 American  
[cheym-ber-lin] / ˈtʃeɪm bər lɪn /

noun

  1. an official charged with the management of the living quarters of a sovereign or member of the nobility.

  2. an official who receives rents and revenues, as of a municipal corporation; treasurer.

  3. the high steward or factor of a member of the nobility.

  4. a high official of a royal court.

Chamberlain 2 American  
[cheym-ber-lin] / ˈtʃeɪm bər lɪn /

noun

  1. (Arthur) Neville, 1869–1940, British statesman: prime minister 1937–40.

  2. Joseph, 1836–1914, British statesman (father of Sir Austen and Neville Chamberlain).

  3. Sir (Joseph) Austen, 1863–1937, British statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1925.

  4. Owen, 1920–2006, U.S. physicist: Nobel Prize 1959.

  5. Wilt(on Norman) Wilt the Stilt, 1936–1999, U.S. basketball player.

Chamberlain 1 British  
/ ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn /

noun

  1. 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)

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Owen. 1920–2006, US physicist, who discovered the antiproton. Nobel prize for physics jointly with Emilio Segré 1959

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
chamberlain 2 British  
/ ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn /

noun

  1. an officer who manages the household of a king

  2. the steward of a nobleman or landowner

  3. the treasurer of a municipal corporation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • chamberlainship noun
  • underchamberlain noun

Etymology

Origin of chamberlain

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, variant of chamberlenc < Frankish *kamerling, equivalent to kamer (< Latin camera room; 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.

A little over two hours later, the cardinal chamberlain, or camerlengo, stood in the Casa Santa Marta and made the news public.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2025

This alienated his family members, who grew resentful of the power of Askia’s head chamberlain, Ali Fulan.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

So the king called in the lord high chamberlain, the royal wizard and the royal mathematician.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2021

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

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.