notary public

English

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notary public

/ˈnəʊtəɹi ˈpʌblɪk/

Where it comes from

Anglo-Norman/Law French, on model of notaire publique, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun, instead of idiomatic English *public notary. Compare attorney general, court martial, fee simple, secretary general, surgeon general.

noun notaries public · notaries publics

An officer who can administer oaths and statutory declarations, witness and authenticate documents and perform certain other acts varying from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Translations

Every language

noun officer who can administer oaths and statutory declarations

Español	notario, fedatario
日本語	公証人 kōshōnin
中文	公證人 /公证人 gōngzhèngrén, 公證員 /公证员 gōngzhèngyuán
Português	notário, tabelião
Français	notaire
Deutsch	Notar
Italiano	notaio
Ελληνικά	συμβολαιογράφος symvolaiográfos
Русский	нота́риус notárius

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MLA

"notary public." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/notary%20public. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

notary public. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/notary%20public

Chicago

"notary public." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/notary%20public.

BibTeX

@misc{notary_public_2026,
  title = {notary public},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/notary%20public},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}