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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
Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 28 June 2024
Using a subpoena, investigators examined the account the girl had communicated with and found that it was allegedly associated with an email address belonging to Escobar as well as an IP address in his name, the complaint said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 26 June 2024
Bill Hammond, New York Daily News, 2 July 2024
Boeing will also be subpoenaed to appear at an investigative hearing next month related to the incident.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for subpoena 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subpoena.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Subpoena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpoena. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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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