chancellor

play

noun chan·cel·lor \ ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər \

Definition of chancellor

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

play \-ˌship\ noun

See chancellor defined for English-language learners

See chancellor defined for kids

Examples of chancellor in a Sentence

the new chancellor of the university

Recent Examples of chancellor from the Web

University of Wisconsin-Stout: Three Naperville residents were given the chancellor's award at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis., in recognition of their GPA.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville People in the News," 2 Aug. 2017
Back in February, Trump met with presidents and chancellors from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) about increasing federal support for their schools.

— leigh cuen, Teen Vogue, "Donald Trump Could Make Schools More Dangerous," 24 July 2017
Our best representative, who is stunningly beautiful and incredibly intelligent, sat next to Vladimir Putin at the request of the German chancellor.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "How Many Times Can Corey Lewandowski Compliment Melania Trump in One 40-Second Clip?," 19 July 2017
And his relationship with German chancellor Angela Merkel already has many awkward chapters.

— hilary weaver, vanityfair.com, "Donald Trump Gives the French First Lady His Latest Cringe-Worthy Compliment," 13 July 2017
McMillan feels that the only thing that was gained from the meeting on February 27, 2017 where 45 Presidents and Chancellors of HBCU’s that met with the President, was a photo-op.

— mary-pat hector, Essence.com, "Spelman's Mary-Pat Hector Pens Powerful Letter To Omarosa & Donald Trump About Lack Of HBCU Funding," 12 July 2017
Dianne Van Hook, chancellor from the Santa Clarita Community College District, explained how her district built a university center that offers public and private universities’ degree programs on their property.

— allison sampite-montecalvo, sandiegouniontribune.com, "College, city work together to bring 4-year university to South Bay," 11 July 2017
Caboni served as vice chancellor of public affairs at the University of Kansas before taking the position in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

— lucas aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Timothy Caboni serves first day as president at Western Kentucky University," 3 July 2017
Although his educational background was in engineering, the new Missouri chancellor recognized the value of college athletics and knew renewing the rivalry would mean a lot to his campus.

— john talty, AL.com, "Treasured rivalries still on indefinite hiatus since the SEC's big expansion," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chancellor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of chancellor

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

CHANCELLOR Defined for English Language Learners

chancellor

play

noun

Definition of chancellor for English Language Learners

: the highest government official in Germany and Austria
: the head of some U.S. universities
: the head of a British university who represents the school but who does not have many responsibilities

CHANCELLOR Defined for Kids

chancellor

play

noun chan·cel·lor \ ˈchan-sə-lər , ˈchan-slər \

Definition of chancellor for Students

1 :a high government official (as in Germany)

2 :the head of a university

Law Dictionary

chancellor

play

noun chan·cel·lor \ ˈchan-sə-lər \

legal Definition of chancellor

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)

Origin and Etymology of chancellor

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

Learn More about chancellor

See words that rhyme with chancellor Spanish Central: Translation of chancellor Nglish: Translation of chancellor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of chancellor for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chancellor

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up chancellor? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

chancellor

Definition of chancellor

chancellorship

From the M-W Editors

Examples of chancellor in a Sentence

Recent Examples of chancellor from the Web

Origin and Etymology of chancellor

CHANCELLOR Defined for English Language Learners

chancellor

Definition of chancellor for English Language Learners

CHANCELLOR Defined for Kids

chancellor

Definition of chancellor for Students

Law Dictionary

chancellor

legal Definition of chancellor

Origin and Etymology of chancellor

Learn More about chancellor

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066