meaning of summons
1. The act of summoning; a call by authority, or by the command of a superior, to appear at a place named, or to attend to some duty.
2. A warning or citation to appear in court; a written notification signed by the proper officer, to be served on a person, warning him to appear in court at a day specified, to answer to the plaintiff, testify as a witness, or the like.
3. A demand to surrender.
4. To summon.
5. a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendants attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant