summons
/ˈsʌm(ə)nz
/noun (plural summonses)
1An order to appear before a judge or magistrate, or the writ containing such an order: a summons for non-payment of a parking ticket...
- He then failed to answer a summons from the examining magistrate, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on 28th January 1997.
- It includes the originating summons and the writ of habeas corpus that were filed in that court and/or the evidentiary material before that court.
- However, the court did lose jurisdiction over the person and it could only regain that jurisdiction by re-issuing a summons to the defendant to appear.
Synonyms
writ, subpoena, warrant, arraignment, indictment, court order, process;
North American citation;
Latin subpoena ad testificandum
order, directive, command, instruction, dictum, demand, decree, injunction, fiat, edict, direction, charge, bidding, call, request, invitation, plea, appeal
1.1An authoritative or urgent call to someone to be present or to do something: [with infinitive]: they might receive a summons to fly to France next day...
- This wasn't a friendly knock; it was an urgent summons.
- The Raja's envoy, Hari Chand, who reached Kiratpur on the Baisakhi day of 1661, presented the royal summons.
- So that was what the urgent summons had been about.
verb [with object] chiefly Law
Serve (someone) with a summons: [with object and infinitive]: he has been summonsed to appear in court next month...
- He was summonsed over articles that appeared in Australia and PNG in January expressing concerns over rising crime and the security of his family in PNG.
- Only one in five of those drivers was subsequently summonsed to appear in court.
- Another woman was also summonsed for assisting the first defendant.
Synonyms
serve with a summons, summon, cite, serve with a citation, serve with a writ, subpoena
Origin
Middle English: from Old French sumunse, from an alteration of Latin summonita, feminine past participle of summonere (see summon).