chancery

noun

chan·​cery ˈchan(t)-sə-rē 

ˈchan(t)s-rē

plural chanceries

1

: a record office for public archives or those of ecclesiastical, legal, or diplomatic proceedings

2

a

capitalized : a high court of equity in England and Wales with common-law functions and jurisdiction over causes in equity

b

: a court of equity in the American judicial system

c

: the principles and practice of judicial equity

3

a

: a chancellor's court or office or the building in which it is located

b

: the office in which the business of a Roman Catholic diocese is transacted and recorded

c

: the office of an embassy : chancellery sense 3

Phrases

in chancery

1

: in litigation in a court of chancery

also : under the superintendence of the lord chancellor

a ward in chancery

2

: in a hopeless predicament

Examples of chancery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The plaintiff’s attorneys in the CHA lawsuit are using the chancery case as further evidence in their request for sanctions against Malaty in their case. —Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025

Hall filed his complaint against John Oates in Nashville’s chancery court in November of 2023. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 12 Aug. 2025

But the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the ruling Thursday, finding that the chancery court did not have the authority to issue a decision that would effectively halt an execution. —Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2025

And only 43 of Mississippi’s 82 chancery court clerks submitted data during the same period, despite a law from 2023 that required the courts to report psychiatric commitment data to the state. —Gwen Dilworth, ProPublica, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chancerie, alteration of chancelerie chancellery, from Anglo-French, from chanceler

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Kids Definition

chancery

noun

chan·​cery ˈchan(t)s-(ə-)rē 

plural chanceries

: a record office for public archives

Legal Definition

chancery

noun

chan·​cery ˈchan-sə-rē 

1

capitalized : the court having equity jurisdiction in England and Wales and presided over by the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain

Note: Formerly a separate court, the Chancery is now a division of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England.

2

a

: court of equity

cases decided in chancery

b

: the principles and practice of judicial equity

court of chancery

see also equity compare law

Note: There are chancery courts in Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

Etymology

Middle English chauncery, alteration of chancellerie chancellor's office