summons

summons
/sum"euhnz/, n., pl. summonses, v.
n.
1. an authoritative command, message, or signal by which one is summoned.
2. a request, demand, or call to do something: a summons to surrender.
3. Law.
a. a call or citation by authority to appear before a court or a judicial officer.
b. the writ by which the call is made.
4. an authoritative call or notice to appear at a specified place, as for a particular purpose or duty.
5. a call issued for the meeting of an assembly or parliament.
v.t.
6. to serve with a summons; summon.
[1250-1300; ME somons < AF; OF somonse < VL *summonsa, for L summonita, fem. ptp. of summonere; see SUMMON]

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In law, written notification that one is required to appear in court.

In civil (noncriminal) cases, it notifies a defendant that he or she must appear and defend (e.g., by filing an answer) within a specified time or a default judgment will be rendered for the plaintiff. The summons is also used in cases involving minor criminal offenses (e.g., traffic violations) to call defendants to appear and answer to charges against them. See also subpoena.

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▪ law
also called  Citation,  

      in law, document issued by a court ordering a specific person to appear at a specific time for some specific purpose. It is issued either directly to the person or to a law officer who must carry out the instructions. Often the purpose of a citation or summons is to require a person to answer charges or a complaint filed against him. It may also be used simply to notify a person that he has an interest in the proceedings at hand, which it would be to his advantage to attend.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • summons — sum·mons 1 / sə mənz/ n pl sum·mons·es / mən zəz/: a written notification that one is required to appear in court: as a: a document in a civil suit that is issued by an authorized judicial officer (as a clerk of court) and delivered to a… …   Law dictionary

  • Summons — Sum mons, n.; pl. {Summonses}. [OE. somouns, OF. sumunse, semonse, semonce, F. semonce, semondre to summon, OF. p. p. semons. See {Summon}, v.] 1. The act of summoning; a call by authority, or by the command of a superior, to appear at a place… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • summons — [sum′ənz] n. pl. summonses [ME somounce < Anglo Fr somonse < OFr sumunse < pp. of somondre: see SUMMON] 1. a) an order or command to come, attend, appear, or perform some action b) Law an official order to appear in court, specif. to… …   English World dictionary

  • summons — ► NOUN (pl. summonses) 1) an order to appear in a law court. 2) an act of summoning. ► VERB chiefly Law ▪ serve with a summons …   English terms dictionary

  • Summons — Sum mons, v. t. To summon. [R. or Colloq.] Swift. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Summons — For other uses, see Summons (disambiguation). Legally, a summons (also known in England and Wales as a claim form) is a legal document issued by a court (a judicial summons) or by an administrative agency of government (an administrative summons) …   Wikipedia

  • summons — ▪ I. summons sum‧mons 1 [ˈsʌmənz] noun summonses PLURALFORM [countable] LAW an official order to appear in a court of law: • Administrators of his estate have issued a summons to get him to return to Australia. oˈriginating ˌsummons …   Financial and business terms

  • summons — noun 1 order to go somewhere ADJECTIVE ▪ urgent ▪ royal VERB + SUMMONS ▪ send, send out ▪ await, expect …   Collocations dictionary

  • summons — Instrument used to commence a civil action or special proceeding and is a means of acquiring jurisdiction over a party. In re Dell, 56 Misc.2d 1017, 290 N.Y.S.2d 287, 289. Writ or process directed to the sheriff or other proper officer, requiring …   Black's law dictionary

  • summons — n. 1) to issue a summons 2) to serve a summons on 3) a summons to + inf. (I received a summons to appear in court) * * * [ sʌmənz] to issue a summons to serve a summons on a summons to + inf. (I received a summons to appear in court) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • summons — summon, summons, call, cite, convoke, convene, muster mean to demand the presence of persons or, by extension, things. Summon implies the exercise of authority or of power; it usually suggests a mandate, an imperative order or bidding, or urgency …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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