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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."
Examples of subpoena in a Sentence
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to Harvard last month demanding the documents.
—Andrew Torgan, CNN Money, 13 July 2025
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025
Content creators Candace Owens and Andy Signore are denying being subpoenaed in Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for subpoena
Cite this Entry
“Subpoena.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subpoena. Accessed 21 Jul. 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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