Chancellor is a title given to certain administrators in governments, universities, and churches. For example, Germany calls its government leader chancellor. The British chancellor of the exchequer is the minister of finance. Most European countries have had officials called chancellors.
The presiding judge in some United States courts is called chancellor. The head of a university is sometimes called chancellor. The chief secretary of a British embassy has the title of chancellor. The Anglican, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic churches have chancellors who keep legal records. The word chancellor comes from the Latin word cancellarius, the title of a court usher.
