Meanings
verbprescribe (third-person singular simple present prescribes, present participle prescribing, simple past and past participle prescribed)
present singular third person prescribes · participle present prescribing · participle past prescribed · past prescribed · alternative archaic præscribe
- medicineTo order (a drug or medical device) for use by a particular patient (under licensed authority).
The doctor prescribed aspirin.
1 more example
And most neurologists are in the habit of prescribing antispasticity drugs like tizanidine and baclofen, which are oral and inexpensive, but which cause drowsiness and weaken every muscle in the body, not just the target ones.
2009 March 17, Donald G. Mcneil Jr., “After a Stroke, Freeing Muscles With Botox”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2017 - To specify by writing as a required procedure or ritual; to lay down authoritatively as a guide, direction, or rule of action.
The property meets the criteria prescribed by the regulations.
2 more examples
Prescribe not us our duties.
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]VVhen Parents loves are order'd by a Son, / Let ſtreams preſcribe their fountains vvhere to run.
1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 5 - lawTo develop or assert a right; to make a claim (by prescription).
Most probable that one presentation and 40 years possession thereafter, is sufficient to prescribe a right of patronage.
1753, Andrew McDouall, An Institute of the Laws of Scotland in Civil Rights […] , volume 3, Table of Contents, page 862 more examples
[…] held, in a question with a party who had acquired right from the commissioners of the forfeited estates to the estate of the forfeited superior, as it stood in his person, that the crown charter of the vassal was a valid title on which to prescribe a right to the coal […]
1834, Patrick Shaw, Digest of Cases Decided in the Courts of Session, Teinds, and Justiciary in the House of Lords, 1821–1833 […] , page 135Because of the juristic difficulties associated with the Donation of Constantine, the question of whether the papacy had in any case prescribed its jurisdiction in the patrimony had become a common topic amongst jurists […]
1987, Joseph Canning, The Political Thought of Baldus de Ubaldis, page 53 - lawTo become invalidated or unenforceable by prescription, to lapse
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
- Proto-Italic*prai
- Proto-Italic*prai-
- Latinprae-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-?
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kreybʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)kréybʰeti
- Proto-Italic*skreiβō
- Latinscrībō
- Latinpraescrībō
- Englishprescribe
Borrowed from Latin praescrībere, from prae- (“before, in front”) and scrībere (“to write”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans voorskryf, voorskryf
- voorskryfto order a drug or medical device
- voorskryfto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Arabic وَصَفَ, أَمَرَ
- وَصَفَ (waṣafa)to order a drug or medical device
- أَمَرَ (ʔamara)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Basque errezetatu
- errezetatuto order a drug or medical device
Bengali আদেশ করা
- আদেশ করা (adeś kora)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Bulgarian предписвам, давам предписание
- предписвам (predpisvam)to order a drug or medical device
- давам предписание (davam predpisanie)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Catalan prescriure, receptar
- prescriureto order a drug or medical device
- receptarto order a drug or medical device
Chinese Mandarin 開藥 /开药, 處方 /处方
- 開藥 /开药 (kāiyào)to order a drug or medical device
- 處方 /处方 (chǔfāng)to order a drug or medical device
- 規定 /规定 (guīdìng)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Czech předepisovat, ordinovat
- předepisovatto order a drug or medical device
- ordinovatto order a drug or medical device
- předepisovatto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- nařizovatto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Dutch voorschrijven, voorschrijven
- voorschrijvento order a drug or medical device
- voorschrijvento specify as a required procedure or ritual
Finnish kirjoittaa resepti, määrätä
- kirjoittaa reseptito order a drug or medical device
- määrätäto order a drug or medical device
- säätääto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- määrätäto specify as a required procedure or ritual
French prescrire, indiquer
- prescrireto order a drug or medical device
- indiquerto order a drug or medical device
- ordonnerto order a drug or medical device
- prescrireto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordonnerto specify as a required procedure or ritual
German verschreiben, verordnen
- verschreibento order a drug or medical device
- verordnento order a drug or medical device
- vorschreibento specify as a required procedure or ritual
- verordnento specify as a required procedure or ritual
Greek υπαγορεύω
- υπαγορεύω (ypagorévo)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Hungarian felír, előír
- felírto order a drug or medical device
- előírto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Indonesian meresepkan, mempreskripsikan
- meresepkanto order a drug or medical device
- mempreskripsikanto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- memerintahkanto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Italian prescrivere, ordinare
- prescrivereto order a drug or medical device
- ordinareto order a drug or medical device
- prescrivereto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordinareto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Japanese 処方する, 規定する
- 処方する (shohō suru)to order a drug or medical device
- 規定する (kitei suru)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Māori tūtohi, tūtohu
- tūtohito order a drug or medical device
- tūtohuto order a drug or medical device
Persian نسخه نوشتن, نسخه پیچیدن
- نسخه نوشتن (nosxe neveštan)to order a drug or medical device
- نسخه پیچیدن (nosxe pičidan)to order a drug or medical device
- تجویز کردن (tajviz kardan)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Polish przepisywać, ordynować
- przepisywaćto order a drug or medical device
- ordynowaćto order a drug or medical device
- wydać receptę na (lek)to order a drug or medical device
- zarządzaćto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- nakazywaćto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- dyktowaćto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ustanawiaćto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordynowaćto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Portuguese prescrever, receitar
- prescreverto order a drug or medical device
- receitarto order a drug or medical device
- prescreverto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordenarto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Romanian prescrie, ordona
- prescrieto order a drug or medical device
- ordonato order a drug or medical device
- prescrieto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordonato specify as a required procedure or ritual
Russian пропи́сывать, назнача́ть
- пропи́сывать (propísyvatʹ)to order a drug or medical device
- назнача́ть (naznačátʹ)to order a drug or medical device
- предпи́сывать (predpísyvatʹ)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
- устана́вливать (ustanávlivatʹ)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Slovak predpisovať, ordinovať
- predpisovaťto order a drug or medical device
- ordinovaťto order a drug or medical device
- predpisovaťto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- nariaďovaťto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Spanish prescribir, recetar
- prescribirto order a drug or medical device
- recetarto order a drug or medical device
- prescribirto specify as a required procedure or ritual
- ordenarto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Swedish ordinera, föreskriva
- ordinerato order a drug or medical device
- föreskrivato order a drug or medical device
- skriva utto specify as a required procedure or ritual
Tagalog magreseta
- magresetato order a drug or medical device
Turkish reçete yazmak
- reçete yazmakto order a drug or medical device
Ukrainian признача́ти, припи́сувати
- признача́ти (pryznačáty)to order a drug or medical device
- припи́сувати (prypýsuvaty)to specify as a required procedure or ritual
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prescribe
subscribedescribeunsubscribevibescribebribetranscribeascribejibeinscribeimbibeproscribecircumscribegybebibekibe
All rhymes →Sounds the same
proscribe (in some dialects)
Cite this entry
APA
prescribe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescribe
MLA
“prescribe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescribe. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prescribe,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prescribe.
Source: prescribe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.