summons

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsʌ.mənz/

Etymology 1

From Middle English somouns (“order or command to do something”), borrowed from Old French sumunce (modern French semonce), from Vulgar Latin *summonsa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of summoneō, summonēre (“to summon”).

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

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Bengali: সমন (śomon)
• → Cebuano: sumon
• → Malay: saman
  • → English: saman
  • → English: summon

Translations

Verb

summons (third-person singular simple present summonses, present participle summonsing, simple past and past participle summonsed)

1. (transitive) To serve someone with a summons.
   • 2007 March 15, The Guardian, page 1:

     It proposes that those held in the prototype Selfridges cells be kept for a maximum of four hours to have their identity confirmed and be charged, summonsed or given a fine.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

summons

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of summon

Further reading

• summons on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Summons in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• musmons