Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

subpoena

/sə(b)ˈpi.nə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.34 in modern English

Syllables
sub-poe-na
IPA
/sə(b)ˈpi.nə/
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

A motive or thing which can compel or demand something, or summon someone.

verb

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).

Transitive verb

verb

To require (a document or other evidence) to be produced before a court, or at a deposition or some other legal proceeding.

Transitive verb

verb

To compel or summon (someone or something); to demand.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Medieval Latin sub Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂ Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ)bor. Medieval Latin poena 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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /sə(b)ˈpi.nə/
  • British English: /sə(b)ˈpiː.nə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce subpoena?
The recorded pronunciation is /sə(b)ˈpi.nə/.
What does subpoena mean?
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.
Where does subpoena come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce subpoena

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “subpoena”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sə(b)ˈpi.nə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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