n.
Pronunciation: ' chan(t)-s ə -r ē , ' chan(t)s-r ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -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