subpoena
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subpoena
- /sə(b)ˈpiː.nə/ UK
- /sə(b)ˈpi.nə/ US
Rhymes with -iːnə
Where it comes from
The noun sense is derived from Late Middle English sub pena (“writ requiring defendant to appear in the Court of Chancery to answer a plaintiff’s claim or to be punished; writ requiring witness to appear in court”), from Latin sub (“under”) + poena (“penalty, punishment”), from the opening words of the writ. The verb sense is derived from the noun one.
noun subpoenas · subpoenae · subpoenæ · subpena · subpœna
-
A writ (“written order”) requiring someone to appear in court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding, as a witness to give testimony (a subpoena ad testificandum) or to produce evidence (subpoena duces tecum), in default of which the person may be punished.
Nothing vnder a Sub-pœna can dravv him to London, and vvhen hee is there, hee ſtickes faſt vppon euery obiect, caſts his eyes avvay vpon gazing, and becomes the prey of euery cut-purſe.
Similar: witness summons, order to attend court, citation, invocation, subpoena, summons, writ of summons
- A writ requiring a defendant to appear in court to answer a plaintiff's claim (a subpoena ad respondendum); in England and Wales, and Ireland, this writ was formerly issued by the Court of Chancery at the plaintiff's request to commence a suit, but the procedure was abolished in 1852. No man to be called by Privy Seal or Subpœna to anſwer any matters but ſuch as have no remedy by the Common law, and that to appear ſo by the teſtimony of two Juſtices of either Bench, and by Indenture between them and the Plaintiff, which Plaintiff ſhall always appear in proper perſon, and find ſur
- A motive or thing which can compel or demand something, or summon someone. Your meetings cal'd the Ball, to vvhich appeare, / As to the Court of Pleaſure, all your gallants, / And Ladies thither bound by a Subpena / Of Venus, […]
verb subpoenas · subpoenaing · subpoenaed · subpena · subpœna
- To summon (someone) with a subpoena (noun sense 1) to appear in court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding, as a witness to give testimony or to produce evidence; to serve a subpoena on (someone). Poor Willy! he would not even subpœna any of his old friends as to his general character. But even if he had, what could the Court do since he pleaded guilty?
- To require (a document or other evidence) to be produced before a court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding. I have just recollected that you ought to have sub-pœnaᵈ in Goodwins & Thomass cases Goodwins comes on the second monday in October. You must send up for them.
- To compel or summon (someone or something); to demand. We wish to subpœna the public to our characters.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: writ, citation, arraignment, injunction, warrant, mandate, assignment, assign, summoning, summons, summon, allocation, convocation, issuance, convening, attendance
Translations
Every language
noun writ requiring someone to appear in court or at some other legal proceeding as a witness
| Español | citación, requerimiento, citatorio, citatoria |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 소환 sohwan, 소환장 sohwanjang |
| 日本語 | 召喚 shōkan, 召喚状 shōkanjō |
| 中文 | 傳票 /传票 chuánpiào, 傳訊 /传讯 chuánxùn |
| Português | citação, intimação |
| Français | citation |
| Deutsch | Auskunftsanordnung, Vorladung, Zwangsvorladung |
| Italiano | citazione, convocazione |
| Ελληνικά | κλήση klísi, κλήτευση klítefsi |
| Română | citație |
| Русский | пове́стка povéstka, вы́зов в суд výzov v sud |
| Tiếng Việt | trát tòa |
| العربية | اِسْتِدْعَاء istidʕāʔ |
verb to summon (someone) with a subpoena; to require (a document or other evidence) to be produced before a court or some other legal proceeding
| Español | citar, citar a declarar, convocar |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 傳訊 /传讯 chuánxùn |
| Português | citar |
| Deutsch | zwangsvorladen |
| Italiano | citare |
| Ελληνικά | καλώ μάρτυρα kaló mártyra, κλητεύω μάρτυρα klitévo mártyra |
| Română | cita |
| Русский | вы́звать в суд пове́сткой výzvatʹ v sud povéstkoj |
Talk about this word "subpoena." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/subpoena. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. subpoena. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/subpoena "subpoena." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/subpoena.Cite this
@misc{subpoena_2026,
title = {subpoena},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/subpoena},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
