an official charged with the management of the living quarters of a sovereign or member of the nobility.
an official who receives rents and revenues, as of a municipal corporation; treasurer.
the high steward or factor of a member of the nobility.
a high official of a royal court.
(Arthur) Neville, 1869–1940, British statesman: prime minister 1937–40.
Joseph, 1836–1914, British statesman (father of Sir Austen and Neville Chamberlain).
Sir (Joseph) Austen, 1863–1937, British statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1925.
Owen, 1920–2006, U.S. physicist: Nobel Prize 1959.
Wilt(on Norman) Wilt the Stilt, 1936–1999, U.S. basketball player.
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)
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
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
Owen. 1920–2006, US physicist, who discovered the antiproton. Nobel prize for physics jointly with Emilio Segré 1959
an officer who manages the household of a king
the steward of a nobleman or landowner
the treasurer of a municipal corporation
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French, variant of chamberlenc < Frankish *kamerling, equivalent to kamer (< Latin camera room; see chamber) + -ling -ling 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
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
At the sound of a gong, a chamberlain and a lady-in-waiting opened the curtains, revealing the emperor and empress.
From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2019
I will not step down to be the dotard chamberlain of an upstart.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Thrifted Wilt Chamberlain jacket fetches $89,600 at auction.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mr Justice Chamberlain said prosecutors were entitled to take a "precautionary approach" given the public interest in the case against the Tate brothers.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
He worked years as a stage manager with his father, a playwright and director, assisting on shows such as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” starring Moore and Richard Chamberlain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
One wishes it were closer to the scale of something by John Chamberlain or Viola Frey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Chamberlain felt an easing in his chest, a small weight lifted.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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
The chamberlains know they are viewed as villains by most Japanese.
From Time Magazine Archive
There were no chamberlains walking backward with their great wands of office in their hands.
From Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life January-May, 1880; February-April, 1904 by Waddington, Mary Alsop King
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.
