chamberlain

[ cheym-ber-lin ]
See synonyms for chamberlain on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an official charged with the management of the living quarters of a sovereign or member of the nobility.

  2. an official who receives rents and revenues, as of a municipal corporation; treasurer.

  1. the high steward or factor of a member of the nobility.

  2. a high official of a royal court.

Origin of chamberlain

1
1175–1225; Middle English <Old French, variant of chamberlenc<Frankish *kamerling, equivalent to kamer (<Latin camera room; see chamber) + -ling-ling1

Other words from chamberlain

  • un·der·cham·ber·lain, noun

Other definitions for Chamberlain (2 of 2)

Chamberlain
[ cheym-ber-lin ]

noun
  1. (Arthur) Neville, 1869–1940, British statesman: prime minister 1937–40.

  2. Joseph, 1836–1914, British statesman (father of Sir Austen and Neville Chamberlain).

  1. Sir (Joseph) Austen, 1863–1937, British statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1925.

  2. Owen, 1920–2006, U.S. physicist: Nobel Prize 1959.

  3. Wilt(on Norman) "Wilt the Stilt", 1936–1999, U.S. basketball player.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for chamberlain (1 of 2)

chamberlain

/ (ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn) /


noun
  1. an officer who manages the household of a king

  2. the steward of a nobleman or landowner

  1. the treasurer of a municipal corporation

Origin of chamberlain

1
C13: from Old French chamberlayn, of Frankish origin; related to Old High German chamarling chamberlain, Latin camera chamber

Derived forms of chamberlain

  • chamberlainship, noun

British Dictionary definitions for Chamberlain (2 of 2)

Chamberlain

/ (ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn) /


noun
  1. Sir (Joseph) Austen. 1863–1937, British Conservative statesman; foreign secretary (1924–29); awarded a Nobel peace prize for his negotiation of the Locarno Pact (1925)

  2. his father, Joseph. 1836–1914, British statesman; originally a Liberal, he resigned in 1886 over Home Rule for Ireland and became leader of the Liberal Unionists; a leading advocate of preferential trading agreements with members of the British Empire

  1. his son, (Arthur) Neville. 1869–1940, British Conservative statesman; prime minister (1937–40): pursued a policy of appeasement towards Germany; following the German invasion of Poland, he declared war on Germany on Sept 3, 1939

  2. Owen. 1920–2006, US physicist, who discovered the antiproton. Nobel prize for physics jointly with Emilio Segré 1959

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012