woolsack
Americannoun
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a sack or bag of wool.
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British.
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(in the House of Lords) one of a number of cloth-covered seats or divans stuffed with wool, for the use of judges, especially one for the Lord Chancellor.
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the Lord Chancellor's office.
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noun
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a sack containing or intended to contain wool
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(in Britain) the seat of the Lord Chancellor in the House of Lords, formerly made of a large square sack of wool
Etymology
Origin of woolsack
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wool, sack 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 Royal Commission, made up of five peers appointed by the King, take their places on the woolsack dressed in red ermine robes and black and two-pointed, bicorner hats.
From BBC • May 25, 2024
Baroness Hayman chairs debates in the Upper Chamber from the traditional woolsack, offers advice on procedural matters and acts as ambassador for the work of the House.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2011
At Wembley, he should sit on a woolsack.
From The Guardian • Mar. 24, 2010
Seated on the woolsack in his best robes and formal full-bottomed wig, Douglas McGarel Hogg, Viscount Hailsham and Lord High Chancellor, commanded Sir Henry John Fanshawe Badeley, Clerk of the Parliaments, to call the roll.
From Time Magazine Archive
Notwithstanding his illustrious descent, Simon Harcourt raised himself to the woolsack by his own exertions, and was in no degree indebted to powerful relatives for his elevation.
From A Book About Lawyers by Jeaffreson, John Cordy
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.
