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notary

NOH-tuh-ree · noun

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Origin

Notary comes from Middle English notarie, borrowed from Old French notarie, which traces back to Latin notārius.

Journey

The word passed from Latin into Old French largely unchanged in form, then into Middle English, keeping its identity as a title for someone entrusted with official writing.

Related words

French still uses the closely related notaire for the same role, showing how little the word shifted as it crossed from Old French into English.

More words

From Old French

Nearby, A–Z

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