chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər 

1

a

: the secretary of a nobleman, prince, or king

b

: the lord chancellor of Great Britain

c

British : the chief secretary of an embassy

d

: a Roman Catholic priest heading the office in which diocesan business is transacted and recorded

2

a

: the titular head of a British university

b(1)

: a university president

(2)

: the chief executive officer in some state systems of higher education

3

a

: a lay legal officer or adviser of an Anglican diocese

b

: a judge in a court of chancery or equity in various states of the U.S.

4

: the chief minister of state in some European countries

chancellorship

ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of chancellor in a Sentence

the new chancellor of the university

Recent Examples on the Web

Pro-Israel protesters stood guard in front of the missing person signs Thursday evening outside the City University of New York chancellor's office as police tried to maintain peace between the two sides. —Adam Sabes, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2023

An associate, a UCLA vice chancellor, was prosecuted, fired and forced to repay the university’s fund-raising foundation $85,000 in disallowed expenses. —Stuart Silverstein, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2023

Robert Habeck, the vice chancellor of Germany, is listed as a keynote speaker for November. —Mark Bergen, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2023

The water also found its way into 150 of New York City’s 1,400 schools, which remained open on Friday, New York City school chancellor David Banks said at a news briefing. —Eric Zerkel, CNN, 29 Sep. 2023

City University of New York chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, who spoke at today’s ceremony echoed this sentiment. —Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 29 Sep. 2023

Advertisement The two chancellors, who oversee universities that collectively serve about more than 88,000 students, took different approaches in addressing their communities. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2023

Due to the Nazis’ growing influence, German President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler his chancellor in 1933. —Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023

On Tuesday, Florida’s university system chancellor, Ray Rodrigues, directed state universities to disband campus groups with ties to National Students for Justice in Palestine. —Steve Mollman, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English chanceler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cancellarius doorkeeper, secretary, from cancellus

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing chancellor

• lord chancellor
• chancellor of the exchequer
• vice chancellor

• lord chancellor
• chancellor of the exchequer
• vice chancellor

Kids Definition

chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər 

1

: the chief minister of state in some European countries

2

: the head of a university

Legal Definition

chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan-sə-lər 

1

: the head of a chancery: as

a

: the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain

b

: a judge in a court of equity in various states

2

a

: a university president

b

: the chief executive officer in some state systems of higher education

3

: the chief minister of state in some European countries (as Germany)

Etymology

Old French chancelier royal secretary, from Late Latin cancellarius doorkeeper, clerk, from Latin cancellus latticework barrier