prothonotary

[ proh-thon-uh-ter-ee, proh-thuh-noh-tuh-ree ]

/ proʊˈθɒn əˌtɛr i, ˌproʊ θəˈnoʊ tə ri /

noun, plural pro·thon·o·tar·ies.

a chief clerk or official in certain courts of law.

Roman Catholic Church.

any of the seven members of the college of prothonotaries apostolic, charged chiefly with the registry of pontifical acts and canonizations.
an honorary title for certain other prelates.

Greek Orthodox Church. the chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople.

Nearby words

prothalamion, prothalamium, prothallium, prothallus, prothesis, prothonotary, prothonotary apostolic, prothonotary warbler, prothoracic gland, prothorax, prothrombin

Also protonotary.

Origin of prothonotary

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin prōthonotārius, Late Latin prōtonotārius < Greek prōtonotā́rios. See proto-, notary

Related forms

pro·thon·o·tar·i·al

[proh-thon-uh-tair-ee-uh l, proh-thuh-noh-tair-] /proʊˌθɒn əˈtɛər i əl, ˌproʊ θə noʊˈtɛər-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prothonotary

That day I found the first nest of the prothonotary warbler.
Everyday Adventures|Samuel Scoville
Wayne heard one singing exactly like a prothonotary warbler, this song lasting for more than 20 minutes.
Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers Part One and Part Two|Arthur Bent
Pantagruel asked Double-fee of what breed was that prothonotary, and what name they gave him.
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete.|Francois Rabelais
I hoped it was a prothonotary warbler, a bird I had never seen, and about whose notes I knew nothing.
Spring notes from Tennessee|Bradford Torrey

Alexander lured the prothonotary to Rome and, having confined him in the castle of S. Angelo, began a process against him.
Lucretia Borgia|Ferdinand Gregorovius

British Dictionary definitions for prothonotary

prothonotary

protonotary

/ (ˌprəʊθəˈnəʊtərɪ, -trɪ, prəʊˈθɒnə-) /

noun plural -taries

(formerly) a chief clerk in certain law courts

Derived Forms

prothonotarial (prəʊˌθɒnəˈtɛərɪəl) or protonotarial, adjective

Word Origin for prothonotary

C15: from Medieval Latin prōthonotārius, from prōtho- proto- + Late Latin notārius notary

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012