What does protocol mean?
Word: Protocol
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Protocol means the official rules for how something must be done or how people should behave on formal occasions. Computers also follow protocols, which are rules for sending data.
Synonyms: procedure, etiquette, convention
Word origin: Came into English in the 1540s through French and medieval Latin from Greek. In English it first meant the draft of an official document.
How do you spell protocol?
Syllables: pro - to - col
Tricky part: The ending is the trap: protocol finishes in -col, but the sound pulls children towards the -cal of musical and magical, so they write protocal.
Watch out for: protocal, protocall, protocole
Memory tip: Link the end to collar: the first three letters of collar, c-o-l, are the last three of protocol.
Protocol in a sentence
Example 1: When the Prime Minister visited our city, the security staff followed a strict protocol.
Example 2: Our school has a protocol for fire drills: line up in silence and walk to the playground.
Example 3: The hospital follows a clear protocol for checking in patients at the front desk.
Fun Fact
The letters HTTP at the start of many web addresses stand for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the set of rules a browser uses to fetch a page.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Protocol goes back to the Greek word protokollon. What was a protokollon?
a) a seal pressed into hot wax
b) a list of guests at a feast
c) a speech made at a royal court
d) the first sheet glued to a roll of writing
Show answer
d) the first sheet glued to a roll of writing. Proto meant first and kolla meant glue, so a protokollon was the first sheet glued onto a scroll.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) protacol
b) satellite
c) monopoly
d) pinnacle
Show answer
a) protacol. The middle of protocol is -to-, as in proton, so protacol is the misspelt one.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. protocol 2. agenda 3. bulletin a. the set order in which guests are greeted and seated at a state dinner b. a short official news report c. a list of points to be discussed at a meeting
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Seating guests in a fixed order at a state dinner is protocol, a meeting follows its agenda and a bulletin brings short news.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
12345678 pltocroo
a) 21437586
b) 16437582
c) 13467582
d) 15437682
Show answer
b) 16437582. Taken in that order, the eight letters spell protocol.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is part of the protocol at a formal ceremony?
a) arriving after the guest of honour has spoken
b) standing still while the national anthem plays
c) chatting on the phone in the front row
d) waving to friends during the speeches
Show answer
b) standing still while the national anthem plays
2. If a visiting minister breaks protocol, she ___.
a) forgets her own home address
b) misses her flight back home
c) ignores the usual formal rules
d) breaks an expensive glass vase
Show answer
c) ignores the usual formal rules
