Etymology

summons

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Today it means: A call to do something, especially to come. Full definition →

First used 17th C.Middle English somouns ← Old French sumunce ← Vulgar Latin *summonsa
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summons · noun, verb1

  1. Vulgar Latin · derived from*summonsa
  2. Old French · derived fromsumunce
  3. Middle English · inherited fromsomouns“order or command to do something”
  4. English todaysummons

From Middle English somouns (“order or command to do something”), borrowed from Old French sumunce (modern French semonce), from Vulgar Latin *summonsa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of summoneō, summonēre (“to summon”).

summons · noun, verb2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

First known use, by meaning

  • 17th C. To serve someone with a summons.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.