protocol
nounUK /ˈprəʊtəkɒl/
US /ˈproʊtəkɔːl/
A set of rules for how to do something.
The school has a protocol for fire drills.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The official way that countries talk to each other.
The ambassador followed diplomatic protocol at the meeting.
3. A set of rules that computers use to talk to each other.
The internet uses a protocol to send messages between computers.
4. A written record of what happened in a scientific experiment.
The scientist wrote the protocol in her lab notebook.