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Glite Dictionary
Lord Chancellor

Lord Chancellor

3 8.6
A senior government official in the United Kingdom who leads the courts and presides in the House of Lords
  • noun
  • /lɔːd ˈtʃænsələr/
  • UK
translation icon : Lord Canciller
  • The Lord Chancellor is responsible for overseeing the judiciary in the United Kingdom.

He also took the power away from the Lord Chancellor to appoint judges.

Examples

  • In Iolanthe, for example, the Lord Chancellor berates himself for mistaking a powerful fairy queen for an insignificant schoolmarm.

    Academic text (2000)

  • During the debate, the Lord Chancellor outlined the government's plan for reform.

  • "And this same Sir Thomas More "here made before you all "to be Lord Chancellor of the Realm."

    A Man for All Seasons (1966)

  • As Lord Chancellor, he had the opportunity to twist and use the law as he would.

    Academic text (1998)

  • " Now if that is all, I have an appointment with the Lord Chancellor this evening, and I must prepare for it.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Rich rose from humble beginnings to the position of Lord Chancellor.

    Academic text (2010)

  • He also took the power away from the Lord Chancellor to appoint judges.

    andrew gold | heretics.

  • Faced with a conflict of law and morality, we should follow the example of Saint Thomas More, who resigned as Lord Chancellor after King Henry VIII left his wife, Catherine, for relations with Anne Boleyn, and the clergy surrendered the property of the Church in England to the King.

    Academic text (2008)

  • As the Lord Chancellor, he presides over important legal proceedings in the House of Lords.

Synonyms

Lord High Chancellor
vsLord Chancellor
  • UK
9.9

A senior government officer in the United Kingdom who leads the courts and chairs the House of Lords

is the same office but uses an alternative traditional title form

Surface Forms

Lord Chancellor singular
Lord Chancellors plural

Morphology

Lord + Chancellor

The combination of 'Lord' (a noble) and 'Chancellor' (a ministerial title) signals a high-ranking official, so learners would likely infer it is a formal title for an important person. However, the precise constitutional role (head of the judiciary and presiding officer in the House of Lords) is institutional and not derivable from the constituent meanings alone, and 'chancellor' has varying senses, so prior exposure is needed for the full meaning.

Etymology

Lord Chancellor comes from old government life: the word chancellor originally named the person who kept the king's seal and important papers, and lord showed high rank. Because that person looked after the law and often sat with the Lords, the title now means the senior official who is 'head of the judges' and sits in the House of Lords.