prothonotary

American  

[proh-thon-uh-ter-ee, proh-thuh-noh-tuh-ree] / proʊˈθɒn əˌtɛr i, ˌproʊ θəˈnoʊ tə ri /

noun

PLURAL

prothonotaries

1. a chief clerk or official in certain courts of law.

2. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. any of the seven members of the college of prothonotaries apostolic, charged chiefly with the registry of pontifical acts and canonizations.

   2. an honorary title for certain other prelates.

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

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prothonotary British  

/ ˌprəʊθəˈnəʊtərɪ, prəʊˈθɒnə-, -trɪ, prəʊˌθɒnəˈtɛərɪəl /

noun

1. (formerly) a chief clerk in certain law courts

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Other Word Forms

• prothonotarial adjective

Etymology

Origin of prothonotary

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

Example Sentences

Preparing to release a prothonotary warbler after banding it at the Fort Morgan State Historic Site in Fort Morgan, Ala., last month.Credit...

From New York Times

In the fall, there’s a chance you’ll peep various warblers — including prothonotary warblers, blue-winged warblers and chestnut-sided warblers — alongside waterfowl, such as wood ducks and Canada geese, and a plethora of vireos, such as white-eyed vireos and warbling vireos.

From Washington Post

Rare bird: Yellow-orange with blue-gray wings, the Prothonotary Warbler has been spotted in Fresno.

From New York Times

Landscape architect Kate Orff is taking in the scene: the tiger swallowtail butterflies flitting from bank to bank, the flash of the prothonotary warblers and the music of the creek itself, which is rushing over a washboard of rocks in a way that is both energetic and calming.

From Washington Post

In the property’s hardwood forests, small, yellow birds called prothonotary warblers will flit from branch to branch.

From Washington Times