prescribe

[pri-skrahyb]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prescribe ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pre·scribed, pre·scrib·ing.

to lay down, in writing or otherwise, as a rule or a course of action to be followed; appoint, ordain, or enjoin.

Medicine/Medical. to designate or order the use of (a medicine, remedy, treatment, etc.).

verb (used without object), pre·scribed, pre·scrib·ing.

to lay down rules; direct; dictate.

Medicine/Medical. to designate remedies, treatment, etc., to be used.

Law. to claim a right or title by virtue of long use and enjoyment; make a prescriptive claim. (usually followed by for or to).

Origin of prescribe

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin praescrībere to direct in writing, literally, to write before or above, equivalent to prae- pre- + scrībere to write; see scribe¹, prescription

Related formspre·scrib·a·ble, adjectivepre·scrib·er, nounmis·pre·scribe, verb, mis·pre·scribed, mis·pre·scrib·ing.non·pre·scribed, adjectivenon·pre·scrib·er, nouno·ver·pre·scribe, verb, o·ver·pre·scribed, o·ver·pre·scrib·ing.re·pre·scribe, verb (used with object), re·pre·scribed, re·pre·scrib·ing.self-pre·scribed, adjectiveun·pre·scribed, adjective

Can be confusedprescribe proscribe

Synonyms for prescribe

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prescribe ON THESAURUS.COM

1. direct, dictate, decree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for prescribed

Examples from the Web for prescribed

Contemporary Examples of prescribed

He was prescribed a course of hormone pills that caused him to grow breasts and rendered him impotent.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero
Clive Irving
November 29, 2014
As such, it could not be prescribed by physicians and could not be dispensed by pharmacies.
The Chronic Chronicles: A History of Pot
Roger Roffman
July 6, 2014
“Overdose rates are higher where these drugs are prescribed more frequently,” says Frieden.
Painkiller Overdoses Kill More Than One American Every Hour
Abby Haglage
July 1, 2014
She began to attend therapy and to see a psychiatrist, who prescribed an antidepressant.
One Breakdown Can Mean Losing Your Kid Forever
ProPublica
May 30, 2014
Codeine should not have been prescribed for these patients because its metabolism in children varies widely from person to person.
Codeine Still Widely Prescribed to Kids Despite Decades-Old Warnings
Russell Saunders
April 24, 2014

Historical Examples of prescribed

They recite in a timid and indistinct tone the prescribed fustian.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870
Various
For this end he is fed, clothed, and prescribed for in sickness.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
In short, fat is eaten daily by all ranks of people, in some way or other, in much larger quantities than is prescribed for soup.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
A patient of his, you might say; anyhow, he prescribed for her.
Cy Whittaker's Place
Joseph C. Lincoln
If he caught cold there was the medicine Doctor Harley had prescribed.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for prescribed

prescribe

verb

to lay down as a rule or directive

law to claim or acquire (a right, title, etc) by prescription

law to make or become invalid or unenforceable by lapse of time

med to recommend or order the use of (a drug or other remedy)

Derived Formsprescriber, noun

Word Origin for prescribe

C16: from Latin praescrībere to write previously, from prae before + scrībere to write

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prescribed

prescribe

"to write down as a direction," mid-15c., from Latin praescribere "write beforehand" (see prescription). Related: Prescribed; prescribing. Medical sense is from 1580s, probably a back formation from prescription.

prescribed in Medicine

prescribe

[prĭ-skrīb′]

v.

To give directions, either orally or in writing, for the preparation and administration of a remedy to be used in the treatment of a disease.