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subpoena
or sub·pe·na
[ suh-pee-nuh, suhb- ]
/ səˈpi nə, səb- /
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noun
the usual writ for the summoning of witnesses or the submission of evidence, as records or documents, before a court or other deliberative body.
verb (used with object), sub·poe·naed, sub·poe·na·ing.
to serve with a subpoena.
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Origin of subpoena
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin sub poenā under penalty (the first words of the writ)
OTHER WORDS FROM subpoena
un·sub·poe·naed, adjectiveWords nearby subpoena
subpar, subphylum, subpixel, subpleural, subplot, subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, subpolar, subpopulation, sub-post office, subpotency
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use subpoena in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for subpoena
subpoena
/ (səbˈpiːnə, səˈpiːnə) /
noun
a writ issued by a court of justice requiring a person to appear before the court at a specified time
verb -nas, -naing or -naed
(tr) to serve with a subpoena
Word Origin for subpoena
C15: from Latin: under penalty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for subpoena
subpoena
[ (suh-pee-nuh) ]
An order of a court, a legislature, or a grand jury compelling a witness to be present at a trial or hearing, under penalty of fine or imprisonment. Subpoena is Latin for “under penalty.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.