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

Department staff have met with chancery clerks around the state to urge them to steer families away from commitment proceedings and toward outpatient services offered by community mental health centers whenever possible. —Isabelle Taft, ProPublica, 27 July 2023

Some counties rarely hold people in jail — sometimes because a sheriff, chancery judge or other official has taken a stand against it. —Isabelle Taft, ProPublica, 27 July 2023

That’s because most corporations take advantage of the state’s corporation-friendly laws and procedures by incorporating in Delaware, which gives the chancery court jurisdiction over a huge universe of business disputes. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022

The suit in Delaware’s court of chancery seeks unspecified damages from the directors on behalf of the company along with corporate governance reforms. —David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023

The compound includes a chancery, representational and staff housing, facilities for the community and associated support facilities, according to the project’s website. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 12 May 2023

Twitter was previously incorporated in Delaware, and Musk’s battle over acquiring the company took place in its chancery court. —Bloomberg News, oregonlive, 12 Apr. 2023

If chancery court Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights III, the presiding judge, finds Mr. Musk didn’t control the deal, the case is likely over for the plaintiffs, said Lawrence Hamermesh, executive director of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School. —Dave Michaels, WSJ, 12 July 2021

In another case, a chancery judge in 2017 barred Cigna Corp. from scuttling its $48 billion merger with Anthem Inc., though the U.S. Justice Department later blocked that deal on antitrust grounds and the two sides returned to the Delaware court to fight over termination fees. —Michael Hytha, Bloomberg.com, 10 Sep. 2020

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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

Phrases Containing chancery

• in chancery

• in chancery

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