chancel

• chauncel (archaic)

From Old French chancel. Doublet of cancellus.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtʃɑːnsəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃænsəl/
• Rhymes: -ɑːnsəl, -ænsəl

chancel (plural chancels)

1. The space around the altar in a church, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen.
   • 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “[The Historie of Irelande […].] The Thirde Booke of the Historie of Ireland, Comprising the Raigne of Henry the Eyght: [...].”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Hunne, →OCLC, pages 77–78, column 2:

     The Citizens in their rage, imagining that euery poſt in the Churche had bin one of y^e Souldyers, ſhot habbe or nabbe at randon^{[sic – meaning random]} uppe to the Roode lofte, and to the Chancell, leauing ſome of theyr arrowes ſticking in the Images.

   • 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 20, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:

     Hester Earle and Violet Wayne were moving about the aisle with bundles of wheat-ears and streamers of ivy, for the harvest thanksgiving was shortly to be celebrated, while the vicar stood waiting for their directions on the chancel steps with a great handful of crimson gladioli.

• apse
• presbytery
• sanctuary

• chancellery

• cancel, chanceau

Inherited from Old French chancel, from Latin cancellus.

chancel m (plural chancels)

1. chancel

• “chancel”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• cancel

From Latin cancellus.

chancel oblique singular, m (oblique plural chanceaus or chanceax or chanciaus or chanciax or chancels, nominative singular chanceaus or chanceax or chanciaus or chanciax or chancels, nominative plural chancel)

1. chancel

• French: chancel, cancel, chanceau
• → Breton: kañsell
• → English: chancel, chauncel
• → Scottish Gaelic: seansal
• → Spanish: cancel