English
protocol
Protocol comes from Middle French protocolle ‘document, record’, from Late Latin protocollum ‘the first sheet of a volume’, and ultimately from Byzantine Greek πρωτόκολλον.
- Byzantine Greekc. 600–1453πρωτόκολλον1prōtókollon‘first sheet glued onto a manuscript’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprotocollum1‘the first sheet of a volume’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600protocolle1‘document, record’
- Englishearliest quotation 1837protocol1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English protocol
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Thomas Carlyle, London: Chapman and Hall: “Serene Highnesses, who sit there protocolling and manifestoing, and…”.
Lineage
- Byzantine Greekc. 600–1453πρωτόκολλονWiktionary, English protocolprōtókollon‘first sheet glued onto a manuscript’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEprotocollumWiktionary, English protocol‘the first sheet of a volume’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600protocolleWiktionary, English protocol‘document, record’
- Englishearliest quotation 1837protocolWiktionary, English protocol. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1837, Thomas Carlyle, London: Chapman and Hall: “Serene Highnesses, who sit there protocolling and manifestoing, and…”
Every English word from Byzantine Greek πρωτόκολλον
Today it means
noun 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.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “protocol”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Byzantine Greek πρωτόκολλον / protocol