Protem, Missouri

{{Short description|Unincorporated community in Missouri, U.S.}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}

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Protem is an unincorporated community in southeastern Taney County, Missouri, United States.{{GNIS|}} It is located on Route 125, and is approximately two miles north of the Missouri-Arkansas state line.Protem. Missouri, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1968 Protem is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.

A post office called Protem has been in operation since 1875.{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MO&county=Taney | title=Post Offices| publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | accessdate=27 December 2016}} The name comes from pro tem (Latin for "temporary"), because first settlers could not settle on a name and a temporary one (which became permanent) was needed.{{cite web | url =http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_taney.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071824/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_taney.html | archivedate = June 24, 2016 | url-status = live | title=Taney County Place Names, 1928–1945 | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri| accessdate= December 27, 2016}}{{cite book|last1=Moyer|first1=Armond|last2=Moyer|first2=Winifred|title=The origins of unusual place-names|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89058322223;view=1up;seq=111|year=1958|publisher=Keystone Pub. Associates|page=107}}