• IPA: /ˈsʌ.mənz/

From Middle English somouns, borrowed from Old French sumunce (modern French semonce), from Vulgar Latin *summonsa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of summoneō, summonēre.

summons (plural summonses)

1. A call to do something, especially to come.
   • 1630, John Hayward, The Life and Raigne of King Edward VI:

     He sent to summon the seditious, and to offer pardon […] ; but neither summons nor pardon was any thing regarded.

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the Most Learned, Reverend and Pious Dr. H. Hammond:

     this summons […] unfit either to dispute or disobey

   • 1818, Henry Hallam, View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages:

     special summonses by the king

2. (legal) A notice summoning someone to appear in court, as a defendant, juror or witness.
3. (military) A demand for surrender.

• French: convocation
• German: Aufforderung
• Italian: convocazione, adunanza
• Portuguese: convocação
• Russian: вы́зов
• Spanish: convocatoria

• French: citation à comparaître, citation, convocation
• German: Vorladung
• Italian: citazione
• Portuguese: intimação
• Russian: пове́стка
• Spanish: citación

summons (summonses, present participle summonsing; simple past and past participle summonsed)

1. (transitive) To serve someone with a summons. [17th C.]

1. Third-person singular simple present indicative of summon