chancel

noun

chan·​cel ˈchan(t)-səl 

: the part of a church containing the altar and seats for the clergy and choir

Examples of chancel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the grave cover was rediscovered in 1901, it was repaired and relocated to the chancel of the Jamestown Memorial Church. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024

But the marquee piece on this floor, the one that inspired a chorus of audible gasps during the preview, is the nearly 82-foot ornamental chancel rug, commissioned by King Charles X in 1825 and offered to the cathedral upon its completion by King Louis-Philippe. —Lindsey Tramuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024

Here's How to Style Them The nearly 82-foot ornamental chancel rug was commissioned by King Charles X in 1825 and offered to the Notre Dame upon its completion by King Louis-Philippe. —Lindsey Tramuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2024

Plumes of incense have wafted around the organ pipes and through the choir’s chancel in Catholic Church ceremonies for centuries, while in the 19th century theaters sometimes distributed scented fans to help with body odor issues. —Chloe Schama, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024

The choir was in the chancel right next to the Communion rail, and a lady knelt for Communion, then couldn’t get back up. —Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023

In one chancel window, a few panes of colored glass had somehow survived unbroken, gleaming in a wooden lattice. —Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022

At the front of the sanctuary, towering pipes flank the chancel, and at the back, hundreds of pipes form a 3D sculpture worthy of Marcel Duchamp. —Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023

With the organ console hidden in a chancel niche, the audience could watch on a large projection screen. —Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 9 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cancellus lattice, from Latin cancelli; from the latticework enclosing it — more at cancel

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chancel

• cancel
• hansel

Kids Definition

chancel

noun

chan·​cel ˈchan(t)-səl 

: the part of a church containing the altar and seats for the clergy and choir