prescription

American  

[pri-skrip-shuhn] / prɪˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

1. Medicine/Medical.

   1. a direction, usually written, by the physician to the pharmacist for the preparation and use of a medicine or remedy.

   2. the medicine prescribed.

      Take this prescription three times a day.

2. an act of prescribing.

3. that which is prescribed.

4. Law.

   1. Also called positive prescription.  a long or immemorial use of some right with respect to a thing so as to give a right to continue such use.

   2. Also called positive prescription.  the process of acquiring rights by uninterrupted assertion of the right over a long period of time.

   3. Also called negative prescription.  the loss of rights to legal remedy due to the limitation of time within which an action can be taken.

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adjective

1. (of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription; ethical.

prescription British  

/ prɪˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. 1. written instructions from a physician, dentist, etc, to a pharmacist stating the form, dosage strength, etc, of a drug to be issued to a specific patient

   2. the drug or remedy prescribed

2. (modifier) (of drugs) available legally only with a doctor's prescription

3. 1. written instructions from an optician specifying the lenses needed to correct defects of vision

   2. ( as modifier )

      prescription glasses

4. the act of prescribing

5. something that is prescribed

6. a long established custom or a claim based on one

7. law

   1. the uninterrupted possession of property over a stated period of time, after which a right or title is acquired ( positive prescription )

   2. the barring of adverse claims to property, etc, after a specified period of time has elapsed, allowing the possessor to acquire title ( negative prescription )

   3. the right or title acquired in either of these ways

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Etymology

Origin of prescription

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin praescrīptiōn- (stem of praescrīptiō ) legal possession (of property), law, order, literally, a writing before, hence, a heading on a document. See prescript, -ion

Explanation

A prescription is an order written by a doctor for someone to get a drug that is not available without this permission. If you get a bad ear infection, you'll need a prescription for antibiotics. When your doctor writes a prescription, she's advising you to take a medication that you can only get from a pharmacist. You can refer to the paper with the drug's name and the doctor's signature and the bottle of medicine as a prescription. Sometimes prescription is used in a non-medical way to simply mean a suggestion or recommendation, like laughter and friends — a great prescription for chasing away the blues.

Example Sentences

For over half of those currently on the medications, the impending walk down the aisle was a primary catalyst for the prescription, the survey found.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Eli Lilly shares dropped on Friday, while Novo Nordisk’s U.S.-listed shares rallied following the prescription data.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

“The best thing is physical therapy, but no one will pay for that. So doctors get very ready to pull out the prescription pad.”

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

The average senior requires five to seven prescription drugs, and 50% don’t take them as directed.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

And then, as if someone had changed the prescription on her glasses, she suddenly saw how wild her ideas had gotten.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Related Words

• drug
• instruction
• recipe
• remedy