It's the Word of the Day podcast for August 30th.

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Today's word is protocol, spelled P-R-O-T-O-C-O-C-O-L. Protocol is a noun.

It most often refers to a system of rules explaining the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in a formal situation.

In computer programming, a protocol is a set of rules used in formatting data.

Protocol can also refer to a plan for a scientific experiment or medical treatment

or to a document that describes the details of a diplomatic treaty.

Here's the word used in a sentence from Hello magazine.

Back in the UK, it's still unclear what kind of royal life, if any, lies ahead for Archie

and Lilibet.

While they hold their princely and princess titles bestowed upon them following the death of Queen Elizabeth

the second, their day-to-day lives in Montecito are a world away from palace protocol.

In late Greek, the word protocallon referred to the first sheet of papyrus role bearing

the date of its manufacture. In some instances, it consisted of a flyleaf that was glued to the outside of a manuscript's case and provided a description of its contents.

Coming from the Greek prefix, Prote, meaning first, and the verb colon, meaning to glue together, protocolon gave us our word protocol.

In its earliest uses in the 15th century, the word referred to a record of a document or transaction.

By the turn of the 18th century, it was being used for the original record or minutes of a diplomatic negotiation, and still later

for the etiquette observed by heads of state in ceremonies and relations with other dignitaries.

This sense has since extended in meaning to cover any code of proper conduct.

With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sarkalowski.

Visit Miriamwebster.com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.

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