protocol
/ˈprəʊtəkɒl
/noun
1 [mass noun] The official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions: protocol forbids the prince from making any public statement in his defence...
- At the end of the day, every one knows that this is still a diplomatic affair, where protocol and ethics must be observed, and cordiality must always be extended.
- So how could he make a preference known without breaching diplomatic protocol?
- It seems that beside teaching new government leaders protocol, they certainly need lessons in public speaking.
1.1The accepted or established code of procedure or behaviour in any group, organization, or situation: what is the protocol at a smart lunch if one’s neighbour dozes off during the speeches?...
- In this particular instance, a temp employee made a mistake and did not follow our established protocol, and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused.
- But museum bosses have now decided to eschew accepted protocol because they believe museum visitors should have the opportunity to join the discussion about whether mummies should be shown.
- He said he obviously went against established protocol.
Synonyms
etiquette, conventions, formalities, customs, rules of conduct, procedure, ritual, code of behaviour, accepted behaviour, conventionalities, propriety, proprieties, one's Ps and Qs, decorum, manners, courtesies, civilities, good form, the done thing, the thing to do, punctilio;
French politesse
2The original draft of a diplomatic document, especially of the terms of a treaty agreed to in conference and signed by the parties: signatories to the Montreal Protocol Hungary and the Soviet Union signed a trade protocol...
- Why did New Zealand sign and ratify a protocol that has already agreed to set rules for liability and redress for damage, if it now intends to undermine the treaty by suggesting that rules on liability may not be necessary?
- According to the report, the ministries of external affairs, finance, labour and commerce have already agreed on the draft agreement on the protocol to be signed with the US.
- The Netherlands is very serious, as is Europe, about this issue, and I believe that the Russians will sign the protocol - but let us wait and see.
Synonyms
agreement, treaty, entente, concord, concordat, convention, deal, pact, contract, compact, settlement, arrangement;
armistice, truce
rare engagement
2.1An amendment or addition to a treaty or convention: a protocol to the treaty allowed for this Danish referendum...
- In addition there were various protocols to the Treaty and declarations adopted by the Member States.
- Moreover, new treaties, protocols, or amendments thereto will normally require positive ratification to enter into force.
- Essentially every country in the world has ratified these treaties, bar three; also Australia has ratified the two additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions.
3A formal or official record of scientific experimental observations: protocols of published cases frequently lack this vital information...
- The final interview included verification of previous interview and observation protocols and validation of the description that had been developed.
- Theories, case studies, empirical studies, therapy session transcripts and treatment protocols are generously offered throughout this work.
3.1A procedure for carrying out a scientific experiment or a course of medical treatment: a study protocol approved by the ethics committee of the hospital the low doses of morphine recommended in the protocol...
- The study protocol was approved by the University Hospital Medical Ethics Committee, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
- In one study there was no indication as to the protocol for intubation and treatment failure.
- The medical center's institutional review board approved the study protocol.
4 Computing A set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data between devices.Internet mail protocols - the technical rules that govern how messages are transmitted - need revamping....
- Typically, a firewall lets HTTP requests pass through - HTTP being the standard protocol for transmitting webpages.
- Using ubiquitous internet protocols like XML and HTTP, web services allow the sharing of data or logic over the network and even through firewalls.
Origin
Late Middle English (denoting the original minute of an agreement, forming the legal authority for future dealings relating to it): from Old French prothocole, via medieval Latin from Greek prōtokollon 'first page, flyleaf', from prōtos 'first' + kolla 'glue'. Sense 1 derives from French protocole, the collection of set forms of etiquette to be observed by the French head of state, and the name of the government department responsible for this (in the 19th century).