Meanings
plural star chambers
- derogatoryA legal or administrative body with strict, arbitrary rulings and secretive proceedings.
The changes come a year after a Sundance film, “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” excoriated the rating system as a supersecret star chamber.
2007 January 18, David M. Halbfinger, “Hollywood Rethinks Its Ratings Process”, in New York Times
Origin
From the Star Chamber (perhaps named for the gilt stars on its ceiling), an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster from the late 15th century until 1641. The court was set up to ensure the fair enforcement of laws against prominent people, but over time it evolved into a political weapon; a symbol of the misuse and abuse of power by the English monarchy and courts.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
star chamber. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/star%20chamber
“star chamber.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/star%20chamber. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “star chamber,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/star%20chamber.
Source: star chamber on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.