Lord Chancellor

noun

The holder of an office in the government of the United Kingdom, held by a Cabinet minister with responsibility for the efficient functioning and independence of the judicial courts.

Meanings

nounLord Chancellor (plural Lord Chancellors or Lords Chancellor)

plural Lord Chancellors · plural Lords Chancellor

  1. UKgovernmentThe holder of an office in the government of the United Kingdom, held by a Cabinet minister with responsibility for the efficient functioning and independence of the judicial courts.
    1 more example

    The Lord Chancellors of Scotland is a work that could not be produced without the aid of scientific research. The origin of the office is involved in great obscurity, and it has never been finally determined who the first and second Chancellors were. We are indebted to that eminent antiquarian, Mr Cosmo Innes, for much of the information we possess of that early period of Scottish history, the twelfth century. There are few records of that period in existence save charters, issued by the King and signed by the Chancellor, the Chamberlain, the Constable, and various clerical witnesses, and it is remarkable that even these are preserved, considering their great age.

    1911, Samuel Cowan, The Lord Chancellors of Scotland: From the Institution of the Office to the Treaty of Union, volume 1, W. & A. K. Johnston Ltd, page v

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe highest officer of the Crown who is head of the judiciary and who presides in the House of Lords

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Translations

Bulgarian лорд-ка́нцлер
  • лорд-ка́нцлер (lord-káncler)minister responsible for courts
Chinese Mandarin 大法官
  • 大法官 (dàfǎguān)minister responsible for courts
Polish lord kanclerz
  • lord kanclerzminister responsible for courts
Russian лорд-ка́нцлер
  • лорд-ка́нцлер (lord-káncler)minister responsible for courts
Scottish Gaelic Àrd-seansalair nam Morairean
  • Àrd-seansalair nam Moraireanminister responsible for courts
Welsh Arglwydd Ganghellor
  • Arglwydd Ganghellorminister responsible for courts
Cite this entry
APA

Lord Chancellor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Chancellor

MLA

“Lord Chancellor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Chancellor. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lord Chancellor,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20Chancellor.

Source: Lord Chancellor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.