chancellor

American  

[chan-suh-ler, -sler, chahn-] / ˈtʃæn sə lər, -slər, ˈtʃɑn- /

noun

1. the chief minister of state in certain parliamentary governments, as in Germany; prime minister; premier.

2. the chief administrative officer in certain American universities.

3. a secretary, as to a king or noble or of an embassy.

4. the priest in charge of a Roman Catholic chancery.

5. the title of various important judges and other high officials.

6. (in some states of the U.S.) the judge of a court of equity or chancery.

7. British. the honorary, nonresident, titular head of a university.

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chancellor British  

/ -slə, ˈtʃɑːnsələ /

noun

1. the head of the government in several European countries

2. the president of a university or, in some colleges, the chief administrative officer

3. the honorary head of a university Compare vice chancellor

4. (in some states) the presiding judge of a court of chancery or equity

5. the chief secretary of an embassy

6. Christianity a clergyman acting as the law officer of a bishop

7. archaic the chief secretary of a prince, nobleman, etc

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Other Word Forms

• chancellorship noun
• underchancellor noun

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.

Example Sentences

The chancellor argues that some people would be better off investing rather than leaving cash in savings accounts for years.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The chancellor, who took power in May last year, promised to revive the economy through huge public outlays on defence and infrastructure and a barrage of reforms.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The former US ambassador was spotted urinating in a street in Notting Hill, west London after a late night visit to the home of former Conservative chancellor George Osborne.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

The chancellor has signalled that help with energy bills - to be targeted at "those who need it most" - will not arrive until the autumn.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

“They were asking. The lord chancellor and the others.”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• administrator
• agent
• bureaucrat
• civil servant
• commissioner
• director
• executive
• leader
• manager
• minister
• officer
• representative
• secretary