sum·mon ![]()
Share:
Tweet tr.v. sum·moned, sum·mon·ing, sum·mons 1. a. To call together; convene: summon a meeting of officials. See Synonyms at call. b. To request to appear; send for: summon a doctor to help an injured man. 2. To order to take a specified action; bid: summon the captain to surrender. 3. a. To bring to mind or remember. Often used with up: We tried to summon up an image of our childhood friend. b. To cause one to think of (something); evoke. Often used with up:"Badly cured hippie fur ... maté, and paraffin heating oil are the scents that summon up my remembrance of the late sixties" (Judith Thurman). 4. To bring into existence or readiness. Often used with up:"He summoned up a smile, though it seemed to take all his strength" (Colin Turnbull). [Middle English somonden, from Old French somondre, from Vulgar Latin *summonere, from Latin summonēre, to remind privately, hint to : sub-, secretly; see SUB- + monēre, to warn; see men-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] summon·er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.