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.
The Lord Speaker chairs daily business in the chamber from his seat on the woolsack and, like the House of Commons Speaker, is expected to be politically impartial.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2024
She will chair her first session from the woolsack on 5 September.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2011
At Wembley, he should sit on a woolsack.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 24, 2010
Great was the dismay of the Lords a month ago when the woolsack was found to contain common horsehair.
From Time Magazine Archive
"You might wish—to see me on the woolsack, aunt."
From The Marriage of Elinor by Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
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.
