chamberlain

¹

[ cheym-ber-lin ]

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.
3. the high steward or factor of a member of the nobility.
4. a high official of a royal court.

Chamberlain

²

[ 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).
3. Sir (Joseph) Austen, 1863–1937, British statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1925.
4. Owen, 1920–2006, U.S. physicist: Nobel Prize 1959.
5. Wilt(on Norman) Wilt the Stilt, 1936–1999, U.S. basketball player.

chamberlain

¹

/ ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn /

noun

1. an officer who manages the household of a king
2. the steward of a nobleman or landowner
3. the treasurer of a municipal corporation

Chamberlain

²

/ ˈtʃeɪmbəlɪn /

noun

1. ChamberlainSir (Joseph) Austen18631937MBritishPOLITICS: statesman 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. ChamberlainJoseph18361914MBritishPOLITICS: statesman 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
3. Chamberlain(Arthur) Neville18691940MBritishPOLITICS: statesmanPOLITICS: prime minister 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
4. ChamberlainOwen19202006MUSSCIENCE: physicist Owen. 1920–2006, US physicist, who discovered the antiproton. Nobel prize for physics jointly with Emilio Segré 1959

Derived Forms

• ˈchamberlainˌship, noun

Other Words From

• under·chamber·lain noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chamberlain¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of chamberlain¹

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

Example Sentences

After the death of a reigning pope, the person in charge of ordinary affairs at the Vatican until the election of a new pope is the camerlengo, or chamberlain.

From Reuters

The lord chamberlain broke his wand of office and placed it onto the coffin, a symbol of the end of his service, to be buried with the sovereign.

From New York Times

Rather than handing her children over to court chamberlains to raise, she cared for them herself.

From New York Times

So the king called in the lord high chamberlain, the royal wizard and the royal mathematician.

From New York Times

He signed the Freedom declaration with a wave of the pen and thanked the chamberlain for being given the “Rules for the Conduct of Life” which date from the mid-18th century.

From Reuters

Related Words

• administrator
• attendant
• curator
• waiter