What does prescribe mean?
Prescribe means to recommend or formally specify something, with the meaning depending on context. In medicine, a clinician prescribes medication or a course of treatment, such as antibiotics, rest, or a particular diet. In legal and administrative contexts, to prescribe means to establish requirements, limits, or procedures that must be followed. The word can also convey the broader sense of advising a particular course of action. Although relatively formal, prescribe is common in contemporary medical speech and writing. It comes from the Latin praescribere, formed from prae-, meaning “before,” and scribere, meaning “to write,” reflecting the original idea of writing something out in advance as an instruction or rule. Its opposite is proscribe, which means to forbid or ban. Together, the two words provide a useful contrast between prescribing an action and excluding it.
verbTo advise or recommend a particular course of action, especially as a method of treatment. It can also mean to stipulate or authorize something as a rule, especially in law or medicine.
- To advise or recommend a particular treatment, medicine, or course of action.
- To stipulate, authorize, or lay down as a rule.
- To specify or lay down in formal terms, especially in law.
"The doctor prescribed a short course of antibiotics for the infection."
"The physician prescribed rest and plenty of fluids."
"The regulations prescribe strict limits on how the equipment may be used."
Prescribe and proscribe are opposites in meaning but mirror images in form: one authorizes what should be done, while the other bans what should not.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prescribe come from?
Prescribe comes from Latin praescribere, a compound of prae- (“before”) and scribere (“to write”). The word originally referred to writing or laying down something in advance, especially as a rule, instruction, or remedy. English adopted the word in the 16th century in legal and medical contexts. Related Latin formations include proscribere, meaning to forbid publicly, and the root scribere, also found in words such as description, manuscript, and script.
Related word forms
How prescribe is actually used
In medicine, it means to recommend a specific treatment or medication. In law and formal contexts, it means to state or impose a requirement. The verb is formal but is also standard in everyday medical usage.
Easily confused with prescribe
To prescribe is to recommend or authorize something, whereas to proscribe is to forbid or ban it.