prescribe
Pronunciation: /prɪˈskrʌɪb/
Translate prescribe | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish [ with object]
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 commoner word and means either ‘issue a medical prescription’ or ‘recommend with authority’, as in the doctor prescribed antibiotics. Proscribe, on the other hand, is a formal word meaning ‘condemn or forbid’, as in gambling was strictly proscribed by the authorities.