Subpoena

v. serve with a subpoena, serve with an official written document summoning a witness to appear in court or requiring that certain evidence be brought before a court (Law)

n. official written document summoning a witness to appear in court or requiring that certain evidence be brought before a court (Law)

A subpoena is "a command to appear at a certain time and place to give testimony upon a certain matter." The term is from the Middle English suppena and the Latin phrase sub poena meaning "under penalty." The term may also be spelled "subpena."A subpoena is used to compel the testimony of witnesses in a trial or other adversarial proceeding. Subpoenas are issued by the clerk of the court (see below) in the name of the judge presiding over the case in which the witness is to testify. (Additionally, court rules often permit lawyers to issue subpoenas themselves in their capacity as officers of the court.) Typically subpoenas are issued "in blank" and it is the responsibility of the lawyer representing the plaintiff or defendant on whose behalf the testimony is to be given to serve the subpoena on the witness.
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Noun
1. a writ issued by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
(synonym) subpoena ad testificandum
(hypernym) writ, judicial writ
(classification) law, jurisprudence
Verb
1. serve or summon with a subpoena; "The witness and her records were subpoenaed"
(hypernym) serve, process, swear out
(derivation) subpoena ad testificandum

(v. t.)
To serve with a writ of subpoena; to command attendance in court by a legal writ, under a penalty in case of disobedience.
  

(n.)
A writ commanding the attendance in court, as a witness, of the person on whom it is served, under a penalty; the process by which a defendant in equity is commanded to appear and answer the plaintiff's bill.
  

Latin: an order of a court which requires a person to be present at a certain time and place or suffer a penalty (subpoena means, literally, under penalty). - (read more on Subpoena)