subpoena
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: law
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *upó
Proto-Italic *supo
Medieval Latin subbor.
Proto-Indo-European *kʷey-
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂
Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ)bor.
Medieval Latin poenabor.
Middle English sub pena
English subpoena
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.
Base: sub
Inflected forms:
form: subpoenas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: subpoenae
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: subpoenæ
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: subpena
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Canada
US
obsolete
form: subpœna
pos: noun
tags: alternative
archaic
form: subpoenas
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: subpoenaing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: subpoenaed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: subpoenaed
pos: verb
tags: past
form: subpena
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Canada
US
obsolete
form: subpœna
pos: verb
tags: alternative
archaic
Senses:
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
examples: 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.
For the worthy magistrate, determined to omit no chance of doing Effie justice, and to leave her sister no apology for not giving the evidence which she was supposed to possess, had caused the ordinary citation, or sub-pœna, of the Scottish criminal court, to be served upon her by an officer during his conference with David.
"Samuel Weller?" said Mr. Jackson, enquiringly. "Vun o' the truest things as you've said for many a long year," replied Sam, in a most composed manner. "Here's a subpœna for you, Mr. Weller," said Jackson. […] Mr. Jackson seemed rather puzzled by Sam's proceedings; but, as he had served the subpœnas, and had nothing more to say, he made a feint of putting on the one glove which he usually carried in his hand, for the sake of appearances; and returned to the office to report progress.
"He won't be waging wars all the world – he'll be waging 'warsuits,'" Noah said. "Droning people with subpoenas all over the globe."
I hereby request that the committee hold the subpoena in abeyance and delay any vote on whether to recommend a citation of contempt for noncompliance with the subpoena, pending the president's determination of this question.
gloss: 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.
pos: noun
tags: historical
examples: 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 ſurety by recognizance to proſecute with effect the matters of the Bill only, and to anſwer dammages if the ſame fall out againſt the Plaintiff.
[I]f the defendant, on ſervice of the ſubpoena, does not appear vvithin the time limited by the rules of the court, and plead, demur, or anſvver to the bill, he is then ſaid to be in contempt; and the reſpective proceſſes of contempt are in ſucceſſive order avvarded againſt him.
For to-day in this arena, / Summoned by a stern subpœna, / Edwin, sued by Angelina— / Shortly will appear.
gloss: A motive or thing which can compel or demand something, or summon someone.
pos: noun
tags: figuratively
examples: 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, […]
gloss: 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).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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?
I am just reminded that the president, who is also transfer-agent, of the Black Rapids Coal Company, happens to be on board here, and, having been subpœnaed as witness in a stock case on the docket in Kentucky, has his transfer-book with him.
Witnesses, duly and in good faith, subpœnaed to attend any court, officer, commissioner, auditors or referees, or summoned to attend any judge, officer, or commissioner, in any cse where there attendance may, by law, be enforced by attachment or warrant, are exonerated from arrest in any civil suit, while going to the place where they are required to attend, while remaining in attendance as such witnesses, and while returning therefrom.
Mr. Elgood and his daughter were both subpœnaed for the adjourned inquest.
Volunteer no private information and express no opinion in public, especially in the Press, concerning medico-legal causes with which you are or are not personally concerned; otherwise you may be subpoenaed to support your published views without having seen previously the statements of claim or of defence.
[H]ave our juries at times not only to ensure the prolonged contentions of lawyers with their fees, but also the yet more perplexing strife of the medical experts with theirs? But why leave it to them? Why not subpoena as well the clerical proficients? Their vocation bringing them into peculiar contact with so many human beings, and sometimes in their least guarded hour, in interviews very much more confidential than those of physician and patient; this would seem to qualify them to know something about those intricacies involved in the question of moral responsibility; […]
The Federal Government subpœnaed over fifty witnesses, but many of these were relieved of testifying by the submission of documents.
gloss: To require (a document or other evidence) to be produced before a court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: 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.
In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, the department accused Democrats of being unreasonable in subpoenaing that material.
gloss: To compel or summon (someone or something); to demand.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: We wish to subpœna the public to our characters.
Related words: contempt of court
Derived words: resubpoena
subpenal
subpoena ad respondendum
subpoena ad testificandum
subpoenable
subpoena duces tecum
unsubpoenaed
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: призовавам
roman: prizovavam
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 傳訊 /传讯
roman: chuánxùn
lang: Dutch
word: dagvaarden
lang: Finnish
word: haastaa
lang: Finnish
word: haastaa todistajaksi
lang: German
word: zwangsvorladen
lang: Greek
word: καλώ μάρτυρα
roman: kaló mártyra
lang: Greek
word: κλητεύω μάρτυρα
roman: klitévo mártyra
lang: Hungarian
word: beidéz
lang: Hungarian
word: idéz
lang: Italian
word: citare
lang: Latin
word: convador
lang: Norwegian
word: innstevne
lang: Portuguese
word: citar
lang: Romanian
word: cita
lang: Russian
word: вы́звать в суд пове́сткой
roman: výzvatʹ v sud povéstkoj
lang: Slovak
word: predvolať na súd (niekoho)
lang: Spanish
word: citar
lang: Spanish
word: citar a declarar
lang: Spanish
word: convocar