protocols

Noun

protocol (countable and uncountable, plural protocols)

1. (historical) The minutes, or official record, of a negotiation or transaction; especially a document drawn up officially which forms the legal basis for subsequent agreements based on it.
   • Another account says that, on the morning of the 31st of May, the king delivered to the prince-royal the crown, the sceptre, and the key of his treasure and gave him his blessing. The privy-counsillor Vockerodt drew up at his desire a protocol of the transaction.1842, Thomas Campbell, Frederick the Great and his Times, volume II, page 47
2. (archaic, international law) An official record of a diplomatic meeting or negotiation; later specifically, a draft document setting out agreements to be signed into force by a subsequent formal treaty.
   • The terms of this protocol formed the basis for the Treaty of London signed by the British, French and Russian governments on 6 July 1827.1970, Matthew Smith Anderson, The Great Powers and the Near East, 1774-1923, page 32
3. (international law) An amendment to an official treaty.
   • The 1992 Protocol amended the definitions of other terms, including ‘ship’, ‘oil’ and ‘incident’: Art. 2.2002, Philippe Sands, Principles of International Environmental Law, p. 917 n. 253
4. The first leaf of a roll of papyrus, or the official mark typically found on such a page.
   • They marked the beginning of each scroll with their protocol, a practice that continued in the papyrus trade in the Byzantine Empire [...] into the Islamic period, when there were bilingual protocols in Greek and Arabic.1991, Leila Avrin, Scribes, Script, and Books, page 146
5. The official formulas which appeared at the beginning or end of certain official documents such as charters, papal bulls etc.
   • The protocol of the bull contains elements that appear to be formulaic by the time of John XVIII 's pontificate.1985, Archivum Historiae Pontificiae, volume 23, page 14
6. The original notes of observations made during an experiment.
   • The following is an abstract of the protocol of the experiment: Tumour extract.—A measured 16 c.c. of minced Rous Sarcoma tissue was ground with sand and extracted with 400 c.c. of 0.8-per-cent. saline.1931, Gye & Purdy, The Cause of Cancer, page 194

   Synonyms:

   procedure

See all 15 meanings of protocol