prothonotary

The story

1. Latin · derived fromnotārius“notary”
2. Medieval Greek · derived fromνοτάριος
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromπρῶτος
4. Medieval Greek · derived fromπρωτονοτάριος
5. Medieval Latin · derived fromprotonotarius
6. Middle English · inherited fromprothonotarie
7. English todayprothonotary

From Middle English prothonotarie, from Medieval Latin protonotarius, from Medieval Greek πρωτονοτάριος (prōtonotários), from Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos) + Medieval Greek νοτάριος (notários), from Latin notārius (“notary”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 15th–19th c. A chief legal clerk or notary in Roman Byzantium, and (hence) in Rome.
• from 15th c. One of the seven prelates, constituting a college in the Roman Curia, whose office is to register pontifical acts and to make and preserve the official record of beatifications.
• from 17th c. A registrar or chief clerk in various courts of law, especially (US) in a county court, (Australia) in certain state Supreme Courts, (Canada) in Federal Court.
• from 18th c. The chief secretary of the patriarch of Constantinople.