Prescribe
/prɪˈskraɪb/noun
To authorize or direct that something be done; especially, to order a medicine or treatment.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, praescribere, could mean to set down rules in advance or even to write a formal legal notice, so the word has always carried the power of authority on paper.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut, mark, or scratch”
Latin
Latin
scribere
“to write, scratch, or inscribe”
Latin
Latin
praescribere
“to write before; to set down in advance; to prescribe or dictate”
Old French
Old French
prescrire
“to prescribe; to order or direct”
Middle English
English
prescriven
“to prescribe or direct by authority”
Modern English
English
prescribe
“to direct or order authoritatively; to issue a medical prescription”