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 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 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