Notary Public
Notary Public, or Notary, a public officer authorized by law to authenticate affidavits, deeds, contracts, and other legal papers and to administer oaths. To prevent forgeries, many documents must be notarized before they become legally effective. A notary serves as an official witness to the signing of important documents. The notary attests to the authenticity of the signatures by affixing a notary seal to the documents on which they appear. (The term notary comes from the Latin for “mark.” In many places today, the “seal” is an inked impression made with a rubber stamp.) A notary usually charges a small fee for his or her services.
In most states any responsible man or woman may get a commission as a notary public by applying to the governor, secretary of state, or other appointing officer and paying the required fee.
In ancient Rome the notarius was a slave or freedman who took notes of public proceedings in shorthand. In England notaries are church officials nominally appointed by the archbishop of Canterbury but actually appointed by the judges of the provincial church courts of Canterbury and York. In a number of countries a notary performs functions that in the United States are performed by attorneys.