a judicial writ founded upon some record, such as a judgment, letters patent, etc, requiring the person against whom it is brought to show cause why the record should not be enforced or annulled
2.
a proceeding begun by the issue of such a writ
Word origin
C15: from legal Latin, literally: cause (him) to know
scire facias in American English
(ˈsaɪri ˈfeɪʃiˌæs)
Law
1.
a writ, founded on a record, requiring the person against whom it is issued to appear and show cause why the record should not be enforced or annulled