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DictionarychanceryEquity court
noun / proper noun

chancery

A court administering justice according to principles of fairness.

The dispute goes before a chancery court for a decision based on equity.

Etymology
chanceryOld Frenchchancellor’s office

The older term names the chancellor’s office. In England, the chancellor’s judicial work developed into a court applying equity, giving the office name this legal sense.

More examples

  • The lawyer filed the petition in Chancery.
  • The archive preserves records from the old chancery.
  • Her research examines how chancery courts handled trusts.

Forms

chancery · chanceries

Similar words

court
Court is a broad term; chancery specifically concerns equitable jurisdiction.