Added 10 October 2026
chamberlain
/ˈt͡ʃeɪmbəlɪn/ noun
Latin root: camerārius Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about chamberlain at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- 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.
- A high officer of state, as currently with the papal camerlengo, but normally now a mainly honorary title.
- An upper servant of an inn.
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)