From Latin 'cancellarius' (doorkeeper at the lattice barrier), a lowly court usher whose title rose to mean head of government.
A senior state or legal official; the head of government in some countries.
From Late Latin 'cancellarius,' originally the usher or doorkeeper who stood at the lattice barrier ('cancelli') in a Roman law court. This lowly gatekeeper eventually rose to become one of the most powerful positions in European government. Key roots: cancelli (Latin: "lattice, crossbars").