PROTOCOL

noun Etymology: Middle French prothocole, from Medieval Latin ~lum, from Late Greek prōtokollon first sheet of a papyrus roll bearing date of manufacture, from Greek prōt- prot- + kollan to glue together, from kolla glue; perhaps akin to Middle Dutch helen to glue Date: 1541 an original draft, minute, or record of a document or transaction, 2. a preliminary memorandum often formulated and signed by diplomatic negotiators as a basis for a final convention or treaty, the records or minutes of a diplomatic conference or congress that show officially the agreements arrived at by the negotiators, 3. a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence (as in diplomatic exchange and in the military services) , a set of conventions governing the treatment and especially the formatting of data in an electronic communications system , convention 3a,b, a detailed plan of a scientific or medical experiment, treatment, or procedure