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chancellery

chancellery

3 9.1
A government building where the head of government has an office
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃænsəˌlɛri/
translation icon : cancillería
  • I had to go to the meeting of the chancellery; I'll be back to get you at eight o'clock tonight for the gala dinner with the diplomatic corps.
  • Department of the Chancellery

Examples

  • In 1606, the region's governing chancellery instructed the monastery to import 10,000 puds (361,000 lbs.) of salt from Astrakhan.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The diplomat met with officials in the chancellery to discuss important treaties.

  • Dr. Eckener and I are out of favor at the chancellery.

  • Berlin is now 90% in Russian hands, and we hear that the Russian flag is now flying over the former German Chancellery.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Please note that you should address all e-mails according to the proper subject with the following mention: Secretariat General, Chancellery.

    Blog text (23)
  • A rally in honor of the occasion was being broadcast live from Berlin, live from the Reich Chancellery.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • He said he'd seen the telegram in the Chancellery.

  • Both houses of the German national parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, were moved along with the Chancellery and the residence of the President of Germany.

    Blog text (1)
  • After the ceremony, the guests were invited to tour the historical chancellery.

  • The construction of the new chancellery will begin next year to accommodate more staff.

Synonyms

government building
vschancellery
30 2.3

A building where government offices are

is limited to the office of one top government official
government office
vschancellery
14 1.0

A place where government workers do official work for the public

is reserved for the single top government official's office

Surface Forms

chancellery singular
chanceries plural

Morphology

chancellery = chancellor (transparent) = chancell + ery

Built from the recognizable base 'chancellor' with the place/office noun-forming suffix '-ery', so the meaning 'office of a chancellor' is directly derived.

Etymology

Chancellery comes from the Latin word cancellarius, from cancelli which means 'lattice' or 'bars' that once stood in front of a clerk's desk. A cancellarius was the official who worked behind that screen, so a chancellery became the office or building of a chancellor, where important papers and work are kept.