Etymology

prescribe

P3R1E1S1C3R1I1B3E1

Today it means: To order (a drug or medical device) for use by a particular patient (under licensed authority). Full definition →

Latin praescrībō ← Proto-Italic *skreiβō ← Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinprae-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kreybʰ-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kréybʰeti
  10. Proto-Italic*skreiβō
  11. Latinscrībō
  12. Latinpraescrībō
  13. English todayprescribe

Borrowed from Latin praescrībere, from prae- (“before, in front”) and scrībere (“to write”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.