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''chamberlain'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260708194133-00-⌔
chamberlain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
chamberlain (plural chamberlains)
- A senior royal official in charge of superintending the arrangement of domestic affairs and often charged with receiving and paying out money kept in the royal chamber, especially in the United Kingdom and in Denmark.
- ✤ Coordinate terms: chamberer, chambermaid (in its archaic sense)
- A high officer of state, as currently with the papal camerlengo, but normally now a mainly honorary title.
- (obsolete) An upper servant of an inn.
Etymology
From Middle English chamberlein, chaumberlein, chaumberleyn, from Anglo-Norman chamberlenc, Old French chamberlayn, chamberlenc (“chamberlain”), from Frankish ﹡kamarling (“chamberlain”), equivalent to ﹡kamer (“chamber”) + ﹡-ling (“-ling”). Cognate with Old High German chamarling (“chamberlain”). Compare also Late Latin camerārius and comrade. More at chamber, -ling.
Pronunciation
- (non-rhotic)
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈt͡ʃeɪmbəlɪn/, [ˈt͡ʃʰeɪ̯mbəlɪn]
- Audio (Southern England): 🔊
- (rhotic)
- (General American, Canada) IPA: /ˈt͡ʃeɪmbɚlɪn/, [ˈt͡ʃʰeɪ̯mbɚlɪn]
- Hyphenation: cham‧ber‧lain
Printed 2026-07-08.
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