prəˈthänəˌterē, ˌprōˌthəˈnäd.ərē, -ri noun
or pro·tono·tary prəˈtän-, ˌprōd.əˈ-
Etymology: Middle English prothonotarie, from Late Latin protonotarius, from prot- + Latin notarius notary, secretary — more at notary
1.
a. : a chief clerk in the English Court of King's Bench or in a court of common pleas
b. : a similar official of the supreme court of New South Wales, Australia, and Nova Scotia
c. : a register or chief clerk of a court in some states of the United States
2. usually protonotary : any of various high ecclesiastical officials:
a. : one of the seven members of the College of Protonotaries Apostolic of the curia of the Roman Catholic Church whose chief duties are to keep the records of consistories and canonizations and to sign papal bulls
b. : the chief secretary of the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople
3. : a principal court secretary in some European countries