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Jul 14, 2011
This week's theme
Professions that exist mainly as surnames

This week's words
chandler
wainwright
collier
chamberlain
granger

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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

chamberlain

PRONUNCIATION:
(CHAYM-buhr-lin)

MEANING:
noun:
1. An official of a royal household who manages the living quarters.
2. A treasurer of a municipality or another public body.
3. A high-ranking official of a royal court.

ETYMOLOGY:
Via French and Frankish, from Latin camera (chamber), from Greek kamara (vault) + -ling (a person/thing belonging to or concerned with). Earliest documented use: around 1225.

USAGE:
"A chamberlain whose watchful gaze seems closer to that of a prison guard (or nanny), rattles off the royal schedule, which includes 'time for private thought'."
Manohla Dargis; When Dusk Finally Settled on the Emperor; The New York Times; Nov 18, 2009.

See more usage examples of chamberlain in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., US Supreme Court Justice (1841-1935)

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