Chancellor

Chancellor (Latin: cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the cancelli (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separated the judge and counsel from the audience. A chancellor's office is called a chancellery or chancery. The word is now used in the titles of many various officers in various settings (government, education, religion). Nowadays the term is most often used to describe:

• The head of the government
• A person in charge of foreign affairs
• A person with duties related to justice
• A person in charge of financial and economic issues
• The head of a university