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protocol

PROH-tuh-kol /ˈprəʊtəkɒl/

nounC1GREGMAT

Formal

The official system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions.

Protocol is the 'etiquette of states'; it is highly rigid, often written down, and involves specific hierarchies and procedures.

The story behind the word. In ancient Greece, the 'protokollon' was the first sheet glued onto a papyrus roll, which contained a summary of the contents. It eventually came to mean the 'first' or official set of rules for a document or event.

Word relationships

procedure: Procedure is a way of doing something; protocol is the formal set of rules for that procedure.
convention: Convention is a general way things are done; protocol is the official, mandated way.

informality: Informality is the absence of rigid rules, whereas protocol is the height of structured rules.

Commonly confused with

etiquette: Etiquette is for social groups; protocol is for governments, organizations, or scientific processes.

Word family

protocol (noun): The set of rules.

Collocations

diplomatic protocol
strict protocol
follow protocol
breach of protocol

Example sentences

"The protocol of the summit was strictly observed to ensure no nation felt slighted by the seating arrangements." Diplomacy
"The researchers followed a strict laboratory protocol to prevent contamination of the samples." Science

Memory hook

Protocol is the 'PRO' (professional) way to handle a 'TOL' (tall) order of diplomatic rules. Protocol is the 'first sheet' of rules.

When not to use

Don't use 'protocol' for casual dinner parties unless you are being ironic; it is for official, formal, or scientific contexts.

Fun facts

In computer science, a protocol is a set of rules that allows two different systems to communicate, much like diplomatic protocol.