Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for chancel. Search instead for chancels.
Synonyms

chancel

American  
[chan-suhl, chahn-] / ˈtʃæn səl, ˈtʃɑn- /

noun

  1. the space about the altar of a church, usually enclosed, for the clergy and other officials.

chancel British  
/ ˈtʃɑːnsəl /

noun

  1. the part of a church containing the altar, sanctuary, and choir, usually separated from the nave and transepts by a screen

"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

Other Word Forms

  • chanceled adjective
  • chancelled adjective
  • subchancel noun

Etymology

Origin of chancel

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Late Latin cancellus lattice, railing or screen before the altar of a church, Latin cancell ( ī ) (plural) lattice, railing, grating; see cancel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Two of the three faces in the church’s chancel windows portraying St. Paul, St. John and Christ knocking at the door were cracked and had to be sent to England.

From Washington Times • Mar. 13, 2017

Henry III added a rectangular chancel in 1240.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2016

"The evidence of disturbance to the grave and repair to the chancel floor leads us to this conclusion."

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2016

At Jamestown I learned that the communion table stood in the chancel, and it was therefore the holiest spot in the church, and only the most important people in the community were buried beneath it.

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2015

After a moment, he dared himself to go and stand on the uneven tiles just inside the chancel.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.