chancel C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction US /ˈtʃænsəl/ UK /ˈtʃɑːnsəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the part of a church near the altar, reserved for clergy and choir Candlelight flickered across the carved screen of the chancel. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the part of a church near... sanctuarypresbytery ↔ Opposites nave Word family Related forms chancerychancellorcancel Etymology AI details From Old French chancel, from Late Latin cancellus ('lattice, screen'; the chancel was screened off by a lattice), from Latin cancelli ('crossbars, grating'). cancellus Latin cancelli Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Space, Position & Direction External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # chancel **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈtʃænsəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈtʃɑːnsəl/ ## Meanings 1. the part of a church near the altar, reserved for clergy and choir ## Examples - Candlelight flickered across the carved screen of the chancel. ## Synonyms - sanctuary - presbytery ## Antonyms - nave ## Related Forms - chancery - chancellor - cancel ## Roots and Affixes - Root: cancellus - Root: cancelli ## Etymology From Old French chancel, from Late Latin cancellus ('lattice, screen'; the chancel was screened off by a lattice), from Latin cancelli ('crossbars, grating'). ## AI Etymology Chancel comes from Old French chancel, from Late Latin cancellus ('lattice, screen'; the chancel was screened off by a lattice), from Latin cancelli ('crossbars, grating'). The historical trail runs through cancellus in Latin and cancelli in Latin. Used as a noun, chancel now means "the part of a church near the altar, reserved for clergy and choir", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as chancery, chancellor, and cancel. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - Space, Position & Direction markdown