protocol

[proh-tuh-kawl, -kol, -kohl]

noun

1. the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and etiquette.

2. an original draft, minute, or record from which a document, especially a treaty, is prepared.

3. a supplementary international agreement.

4. an agreement between states.

5. an annex to a treaty giving data relating to it.

6. Medicine/Medical.,  the plan for carrying out a scientific study or a patient's treatment regimen.

7. Computers.,  a set of rules governing the format of messages that are exchanged between computers.

8. Also called protocol statement,. Also called protocol proposition. Also called protocol sentence,. Philosophy.,  a statement reporting an observation or experience in the most fundamental terms without interpretation: sometimes taken as the basis of empirical verification, as of scientific laws.

verb (used without object)

1. to draft or issue a protocol.

protocol

/ ˈprəʊtəˌkɒl /

noun

1. the formal etiquette and code of behaviour, precedence, and procedure for state and diplomatic ceremonies

2. a memorandum or record of an agreement, esp one reached in international negotiations, a meeting, etc

3. 1. a record of data or observations on a particular experiment or proceeding

   2. an annexe appended to a treaty to deal with subsidiary matters or to render the treaty more lucid

   3. a formal international agreement or understanding on some matter

4. an amendment to a treaty or convention

5. In full: protocol statement. philosophy a statement that is immediately verifiable by experience See logical positivism

6. computing the set form in which data must be presented for handling by a particular computer configuration, esp in the transmission of information between different computer systems

protocol

1. The plan for a course of medical treatment or for a scientific experiment.

2. A set of standardized procedures for transmitting or storing data, especially those used in regulating data transmission between computers or peripherals.

Other Word Forms

• protocolar adjective
• protocolary adjective
• protocolic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of protocol¹

First recorded in 1535–45; earlier protocoll, from Medieval Latin prōtocollum, from Late Greek prōtókollon originally, “a leaf or tag attached to a rolled papyrus manuscript and containing notes as to contents.” See proto-, colloid

Word History and Origins

Origin of protocol¹

C16: from Medieval Latin prōtocollum, from Late Greek prōtokollon sheet glued to the front of a manuscript, from _proto- + kolla glue

Example Sentences

Who made an audacious end run around protocol to give the president some really bad news?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It will require large AI companies to publicly disclose certain safety and security protocols and report to the state on critical safety incidents.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He said he has been working through the "different iterations" of protocols for nearly five years.

Read more on BBC

Many of the AI-enabled deepfake programs used by cybercriminals deploy “learning” protocols that can be used to check security protocols and update accordingly.

Read more on MarketWatch

The most recent voltage variations were disclosed in a report published by Spain’s competition watchdog CNMC, in which Red Electrica proposed a set of adjustments to four electricity system management protocols.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agreement 
• code 
• contract 
• covenant 
• custom 
• obligation 
• pact 

When To Use

What does protocol mean?

Protocol generally means an official set of procedures for what actions to take in a certain situation.Protocol has many specific uses, but most of them deal with such a plan or the documents that spell out such a plan or agreement. Protocol is used in specific ways in the contexts of diplomacy, medicine, and computing, but it’s also often used in a general way in situations that require people to follow official procedures.Example: His failure to follow the safety procedures was a serious breach of protocol.