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The Origin of Subpoena
If you think you recognize the sub- in subpoena as the prefix meaning "under, beneath, below," you're on target. Subpoena arrived in Modern English (via the Middle English suppena) from the Latin sub poena, a combination of sub and poena, meaning "penalty." Other poena descendants in English include impunity ("freedom from penalty"), penal ("of or relating to punishment"), and even punish. There is also the verb subpoena, as in "Defense lawyers have subpoenaed several witnesses to the crime."
Synonyms
Examples of subpoena in a Sentence
Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2025
The text messages were largely between Baldoni, his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis management expert Melissa Nathan, and were obtained through a civil subpoena, Lively's complaint said.
—Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Christian Monberg, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
The agency had to subpoena Musk in May of 2023 to get his testimony in the investigation and has said that Musk canceled on them two days before his scheduled testimony that September.
—Brian Barrett, WIRED, 15 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Subpoena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpoena. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subpoena
1 of 2 noun
subpoena
2 of 2 verbNoun
from the Latin phrase sub poena "under penalty"; used as the beginning words of the order
Legal Definition
subpoena
1 of 2 nounsubpoena
2 of 2 transitive verbHarvard Law ReviewNoun
Latin sub poena under penalty
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