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Glite Dictionary
notary public

notary public

4 5.7
An official who watches people sign documents, checks the signatures, and confirms they are valid for legal use
  • noun
  • /ˈnoʊtəri ˈpʌblɪk/
translation icon : notario público
  • Sign the application before a notary public.

And I'm like, I'm not some kind of Asian notary public.

Examples

  • Francisco Javier Manzo, a notary public in the Sonoran town of Sonoyta, traces his family's history in the region back roughly 250 years.

    Academic text (2011)

  • But he is my notary public... and must witness the signing in person.

    Gas (2004)

  • If it is not an original, it has to be a certified copy, certified by a Mexican notary public.

    Academic text (1997)

  • You need to know that you have to have a notary public and a deed upon which the transfer of the land is being made, and that deed has to be registered.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Every time Berns needs the help of a notary public, she goes to Umboy to "legalize" everything.

    Blog text (12)

  • Attached is a photocopy of an affidavit signed by the testator and both witnesses in the presence of a notary public and so certified.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • You need to have your signature verified by a notary public for the contract to be valid.

  • Before submitting the legal documents, make sure they are signed by a notary public.

  • A notary public can assist you in certifying important papers like wills and powers of attorney.

Synonyms

notary
vsnotary public
20 6.5

A person who watches people sign important papers and confirms their signatures are real

is the more formal full title used in official legal contexts

How Official

notary public
4 5.7
registrar
  • Formal
10 5.3
attestator
  • Formal
9.9
witness
  • Specialized
53 3.7

Surface Forms

notary public singular
notaries public plural

Morphology

notary + public

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'notary' already denotes a person who certifies and witnesses documents, and 'public' indicates official/authorized status for the public. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish notario público), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Notary public comes from an old job of writing short official notes: a notary kept records and public showed they worked for everyone. So today a notary public is an official who 'witnesses signatures' and 'certifies documents'.