/ ˈnəʊtəri; NAmE ˈnoʊ-/ noun
( pl. -ies ) (also technical ˌnotary ˈpublic pl. ˌnotaries ˈpublic ) a person, especially a lawyer, with official authority to be a witness when sb signs a document and to make this document valid in law
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense clerk or secretary ): from Latin notarius secretary, from nota mark.