notary
Americannoun
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notaries
plural
noun
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a notary public
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(formerly) a clerk licensed to prepare legal documents
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archaic a clerk or secretary
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of notary
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin notārius “clerk,” from not(āre) “to mark” ( see note) + -ārius -ary
Explanation
A notary is someone with the legal power to witness signatures, verify documents, and take depositions. A notary — also known as a notary public — is a person who has been licensed by a state to perform a few legal functions. The most common one is to witness signatures. For many types of paperwork, you need a notary to be present as you sign, which makes the paperwork official. Notaries also have the power to verify various types of documents and are allowed to take depositions (statements) in some legal situations.
Vocabulary lists containing notary
"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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The Mona Lisa Vanishes
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The Voyage of the Frog
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bardo told him to get those filled out immediately and use a mobile notary to sign them before they left.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
In many Latin American countries, a public notary is the equivalent of a lawyer, and notario fraudsters rely on this mistranslation to fake credentials.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
“Sometimes, you’re dealing with a notary person who only works on Wednesdays, and takes all of August off,” she said.
From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2026
The notary wrote to Freymond several times seeking information about Puech’s financial affairs, but received no substantive response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025
He cannot be a notary, but he already shows a talent for drawing, and Andrea del Verrocchio, a Florentine painter and sculptor, has agreed to take him on as an apprentice.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Urbina had fallen prey to “notario fraud,” in which scammers provide legal advice, often by saying they’re public notaries or other legal professionals.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
In the United States, notaries are qualified only to authenticate signatures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2023
That includes marriage licenses, notaries, county records and in some cases, budgeting.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
"I am trying to prepare my will, while notaries are still working, so that my money will be transferred to my family," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2022
It’s also a time of great wealth, and notaries like Ser Piero were at the center of it.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
