noun
- a clergyman attached to a chapel, as of a royal court
- a minister, priest, or rabbi serving in a religious capacity with the armed forces, or in a prison, hospital, etc.
- a clergyman, or sometimes a layman, appointed to perform religious functions in a public institution, club, etc.
Origin:
ME chapelain < OFr < ML capellanus, orig., custodian of St. Martin's cloak: see chapel