1. a chief clerk in certain courts of law
Usage: legal
2. a high-ranking papal official in the Roman Catholic Church
Usage: ecclesiastical

Examples

• The prothonotary recorded all the court proceedings.
• She worked as a prothonotary in the county courthouse for fifteen years.
• The prothonotary’s office handles filing of legal documents.
• He was appointed as prothonotary apostolic by the Vatican.
• The prothonotary maintained detailed records of the papal correspondence.
• Court documents must be filed with the prothonotary by 5 PM.