notary public

noun

no·​ta·​ry public ˈnō-tə-rē- 

plural notaries public or notary publics

: a public officer who attests or certifies writings (such as a deed) to make them authentic and takes affidavits, depositions, and protests of negotiable paper

called also notary

Examples of notary public in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jackie Collins, a state of Tennessee notary public, officiated. —Rosalie R. Radomsky, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024

On May 20, Ms. Giordano, a Florida notary public, married the couple in an intimate ceremony with only three guests at her Miami home. —Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 23 June 2023

Just as a notary public has responsibilities to assure claims can be adjudicated, so too, Vice Presidents must be responsible for their careful exercise of their duties in assuring that the Electoral College is an honest assessment of the decision of the voters. —Dave Wallace, Baltimore Sun, 18 May 2022

Davis is a notary public. —cleveland, 18 May 2022

Foltz went on to blaze many trails until her 1934 death, becoming the first woman in California to serve as deputy district attorney, to prosecute a murder case, to hold statewide office on a school board and to become a notary public, according to the California Bar Journal. —Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2022

Calloway, who runs a notary public business, said the beating left him with stitches in his head, speech problems and memory loss. —CBS News, 25 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English notary clerk, notary public, from Latin notarius clerk, secretary, from notarius of shorthand, from nota note, shorthand character

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

notary public

noun

no·​ta·​ry public ˌnōt-ə-rē- 

plural notaries public or notary publics

: a public officer who witnesses the making of a document (as a deed) and signs it to show that it is authentic

called also notary

Legal Definition

notary public

noun

no·​ta·​ry public ˈnō-tə-rē- 

plural notaries public or notary publics

: a public officer who certifies and attests to the authenticity of writings (as deeds) and takes affidavits, depositions, and protests of negotiable instruments

called also notary

Etymology

Latin notarius stenographer, from nota note, shorthand character