Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The principal clerk in certain courts of law.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A chief notary or clerk.
  • noun Specifically — Originally, the chief of the notaries; now, in the Roman Catholic Church, one of a college of twelve (formerly seven) ecclesiastics charged with the registry of acts, proceedings relating to canonization, etc.
  • noun In the Gr. Ch., the chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople, who superintends the secular-work of the provinces.
  • noun In law, a chief clerk of court; formerly, a chief clerk in the Court of Common Pleas and in the King's Bench.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A chief notary or clerk.
  • noun engraving Formerly, a chief clerk in the Court of King's Bench and in the Court of Common Pleas, now superseded by the master.
  • noun A register or chief clerk of a court in certain States of the United States.
  • noun (R. C. Ch.) Formerly, one who had the charge of writing the acts of the martyrs, and the circumstances of their death; now, one of twelve persons, constituting a college in the Roman Curia, whose office is to register pontifical acts and to make and preserve the official record of beatifications.
  • noun (Gr. Ch.) The chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a small American warbler (Protonotaria citrea). The general color is golden yellow, the back is olivaceous, the rump and tail are ash-color, several outer tail feathers are partly white.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A chief clerk of one of various courts of law.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English prothonotarie, from Medieval Latin prōthonotārius, from Late Latin prōtonotārius : Greek prōto-, proto- + Latin notārius, secretary (from nota, mark; see gnō- in Indo-European roots).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English prothonotarie, from Medieval Latin prothonotarius, from Late Latin protonotarius, from Ancient Greek  (proto-) + Latin notarius ("secretary")

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Examples

  • The prothonotary was a suave and diplomatic elder who seemed keenly interested in the small monk's life.

    A Canticle for Leibowitz Miller, Walter M. 1959

  • That's how residents of this area near the tip of Southern Illinois (about two hours southwest of Evansville) describe the Cache River State Natural Area with its wetlands, ancient cypress trees and a yellow songbird known as a prothonotary warbler.

    courierpress.com Stories 2010

  • That's how residents of this area near the tip of Southern Illinois (about two hours southwest of Evansville) describe the Cache River State Natural Area with its wetlands, ancient cypress trees and a yellow songbird known as a prothonotary warbler.

    courierpress.com Stories 2010

  • The prothonotary is the custodian of civil court records.

    News/local from www.dailyamerican.com 2009

  • The prothonotary is the custodian of civil court records.

    News/local from www.dailyamerican.com 2009

  • A prothonotary is a judicial officer who supervises scheduling and evidence in cases that are later heard before a judge.

    Top Stories - Google News 2008

  • U.S. President Harry S. Truman was introduced to a prothonotary during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh in 1948.

    Matthew Yglesias » For Less Voting 2010

  • It suggests you'd abandon a friend who'd just fallen onto the subway tracks if you had a prothonotary warbler in your sights, not that the little yellow and gray birds are known to frequent the no. 6 line.

    Holding the Fort at Pale Maleland 2010

  • “Peter Martyr was secretary of the prothonotary under Pope Innocent the Eighth, archpriest of Ocana under Pope Adrian the Sixth,” Chance added.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • “Peter Martyr was secretary of the prothonotary under Pope Innocent the Eighth, archpriest of Ocana under Pope Adrian the Sixth,” Chance added.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

Comments

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  • i was giving an interview and the reporter asked whether a service would be available at her local prothonotary (she was in Pennsylvania, USA). i was so tickled that i repeated the word at least five times during our chat.

    n. - The principal clerk in certain courts of law.

    December 22, 2007

  • Also a warbler. ;-)

    December 29, 2007

  • reesetee is the prothonotary of fattiehead. As can be seen here.

    January 21, 2010

  • Well, at least someone remembers my rank.

    January 21, 2010

  • See citation on pileated

    March 31, 2011