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chancery

 - 4 dictionary results

chan⋅cer⋅y

[chan-suh-ree, chahn-]
–noun, plural -cer⋅ies.
1. the office or department of a chancellor; chancellery.
2. an office of public records, esp. those of the Lord Chancellor in England.
3. (in England) the Lord Chancellor's court, now a division of the High Court of Justice.
4. Law.
a. Also called court of chancery. a court having jurisdiction in equity; court of equity.
b. equity (defs. 3a, b).
5. the administrative office of a diocese.
6. Roman Catholic Church. a department of the Curia Romana now having the responsibility for issuing bulls to establish new dioceses, benefices, etc.
7. in chancery,
a. Law. in litigation in a court of chancery.
b. Wrestling, Boxing. (of a contestant's head) held under an opponent's arm.
c. in a helpless or embarrassing position.

Origin:
1325–75; ME chancerie, var. of chancelrie, syncopated var. of chancellerie chancellery
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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chan·cer·y   (chān'sə-rē)   
n.   pl. chan·cer·ies
  1. Law

    1. A court of chancery.

    2. The proceedings and practice of a court of chancery; equity.

    3. A court of public record; an office of archives.

    4. One of the five divisions of the High Court of Justice of Great Britain, presided over by the Lord High Chancellor.

  2. The office or department of a chancellor; a chancellery.


[Middle English chancerie, alteration of chancelrie; see chancellery.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

chancery 
1377, "court of the Lord Chancellor of England," from O.Fr. chauncelerie, from M.L. cancellaria (see chancellor). In Eng., the highest court of judicature next to the House of Lords until the act of 1873.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: chan·cery
Pronunciation: 'chan-s&-rE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English chauncery, alteration of chancellerie chancellor's office
1 cap : 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 chancery> b : the principles and practice of judicial equity chancery> —see also EQUITY —compare LAW
NOTE: There are chancery courts in Arkansas, Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Tennessee.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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