prescribe
Syllabification: (pre·scribe)
Pronunciation: /priˈskrīb/
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Definition of prescribe
verb
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense 'confine within bounds', also as a legal term meaning 'claim by prescription'): from Latin praescribere 'direct in writing', from prae 'before' + scribere 'write'
The verbs prescribe and proscribe do not have the same meaning. Prescribe is a much more common word than proscribe and means either ‘issue a medical prescription’ or ‘recommend with authority’: the doctor prescribed antibiotics. Proscribe, on the other hand, is a formal word meaning ‘condemn or forbid’: gambling was strictly proscribed by the authorities.