Somners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Historically, an official who delivered summonses, calling people to appear before a church or secular court
2. In former times, a minor officer whose duty was to call people to appear before an ecclesiastical or legal tribunal
3. An archaic court functionary charged with issuing summons and bringing defendants or witnesses before a tribunal

Etymology: "Somners" is the plural of "somner," a noun meaning an official who summons people to court. The singular form is the one that carries the meaning, so the plural simply refers to more than one such officer. The word belongs to the older legal and church-court vocabulary of English, where summoners delivered citations ordering a person to appear before a court.

Synonyms: summoner