summons
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈsʌ.mənz/
Etymology 1

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.

Noun

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.
Translations Translations Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To serve someone with a summons. [17th C.]
Verb
  1. Third-person singular simple present indicative of summon



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