Notaries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who are officially appointed to draft and certify legal documents with recognized authority
2. Persons empowered by law to prepare, authenticate, and witness signatures on legal papers
3. Authorized agents who verify the authenticity of important documents and ensure proper signing procedures

Etymology: "Notaries" is the plural of "notary", so the story is that of the singular. The root is the Latin "notārius", a word for a shorthand writer, from "nota", a mark or sign. Roman scribes who could write quickly in abbreviated script, using a system of notes or signs, were called "notarii", and that is the sense the word started with: a person who records words at speed rather than one who certifies anything. The word passed into Old French as "notaire" and from there into Middle English as "notarie". Its legal sense grew out of the scribe's work. Someone who could take down a transaction or agreement accurately in writing gradually became the person trusted to put it into formal, authenticated form, and that trust is what the modern meaning of officially drafting and certifying documents rests on.

Synonyms: notary public, certifiers, witnesses, oath administrators, legal witnesses