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 protocol statement, 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. chiefly US
   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. philosophy a statement that is immediately verifiable by experience In fullprotocol statement 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

/ prō′tə-kôl′,-kōl′ /

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 Words From

• pro·to·col·ar [proh-t, uh, -, kol, -er], proto·cola·ry proto·colic 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

Related Words

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