camerlengo

See also: Camerlengo

English

Alternative forms

• camarlengo, camerlingo

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian camerlengo (“chamberlain”). Doublet of chamberlain.

Noun

camerlengo (plural camerlengos)

1. The cardinal who administers the Roman Catholic Church in the interregnum between Popes.
   • 2013 February 26, Gaia Pianigiani, Elisabetta Povoledo, “Benedict XVI to Be Known as Emeritus in Retirement”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Benedict will also stop using the so-called fisherman’s ring to seal documents. It will be destroyed by the cardinal camerlengo, the acting head of state of Vatican City during the “sede vacante,” the canon law term used when the papacy is vacant.

   • 2025 May 3, Amy Kazmin, Jude Webber, “The cardinal running the papal conclave”, in FT Weekend, London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:

     For the conclave, the camerlengo is now responsible for ensuring an “orderly election and its privacy”, according to Universi Dominici Gregis—the apostolic constitution governing papal succession.

Derived terms

• camerlingate

Translations

chamberlain

• Catalan: camarlenc (ca) m
• Esperanto: kamerlingo
• French: camerlingue (fr) m
• Italian: camerlengo (it) m
• Latin: camerarius m
• Polish: kamerling (pl) m
• Portuguese: camerlengo (pt) m
• Spanish: camarlengo (es) m
• Vietnamese: nhiếp chính (vi), hồng y nhiếp chính, hồng y thị thần
• Welsh: siambrlen m

Further reading

• camerlengo on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Italian

Etymology

From Old Italian camarlingo, inherited from Medieval Latin camarlingus. Doublet of ciambellano.

Cognates include Old High German chamarling and French chambellan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.merˈlen.ɡo/
• Rhymes: -enɡo
• Hyphenation: ca‧mer‧lén‧go

Noun

camerlengo m (plural camerlenghi)

1. chamberlain

Descendants

• → English: camerlengo

Further reading

• camerlengo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-der.

Proto-Indo-Iranian *kmárati

Proto-Iranian *kamarāder.

Ancient Greek καμάρᾱ (kamárā)bor.

Latin camerabor.

Frankish *kamarā

Proto-Indo-European *-lósder.

Proto-Germanic *-ilaz

Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kʷo-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-nós

Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos

Proto-Germanic *-īnaz

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Germanic *-gaz

?

Proto-Germanic *-ingaz

Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz

Frankish *-ling

Frankish *kamarlingbor.

Latin camarlingus

Old Italian camarlingo

Italian camerlengobor.

Portuguese camerlengo

Borrowed from Italian camerlengo.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.meʁˈlẽ.ɡu/ [ka.meɦˈlẽ.ɡu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.meʁˈlẽ.ɡu/ [ka.meɦˈlẽ.ɡu]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ka.meɾˈlẽ.ɡu/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ka.meʁˈlẽ.ɡu/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ka.meɻˈlẽ.ɡu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ka.meʁˈlẽ.ɡo/ [ka.meɦˈlẽ.ɡo]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ.mɨɾˈlẽ.ɡu/

• Rhymes: -ẽɡu
• Hyphenation: ca‧mer‧len‧go

Noun

camerlengo m (plural camerlengos)

1. (Roman Catholicism) camerlengo (cardinal who presides over the Apostolic Chamber and, in a pontifical interregnum, is responsible for governing the Church in the administrative field)

Derived terms

• camerlengado

Further reading

• “camerlengo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “camerlengo”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “camerlengo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026