Main Entry:

chan·cery

Pronunciation:

\ˈchan(t)-sə-rē, ˈchan(t)s-rē\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural chan·cer·ies

Etymology:

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

Date:

14th century

1: a record office for public archives or those of ecclesiastical, legal, or diplomatic proceedings2 acapitalized : 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 equity3 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 3

— 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