a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
an order to appear in person at a given place and time
a contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices
(geology) the erosion of soil as a consequence of sand and dust and loose rocks being removed by the wind; "a constant deflation of the desert landscape"
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds; "I talked to him on the telephone"