prescribe

English

Alternative forms

• præscribe (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin praescribere, from prae ‎(“before”) and scribere ‎(“to write”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈskɹaɪb/
• (distinguished from proscribe) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɪːˌskɹaɪb/
• Rhymes: -aɪb
• Homophone: proscribe (in some dialects)

Verb

prescribe ‎(third-person singular simple present prescribes, present participle prescribing, simple past and past participle prescribed)

1. To order (a drug or medical device) for use by a particular patient.

   The doctor prescribed aspirin.

2. To specify as a required procedure or ritual; to lay down authoritatively as a guide, direction, or rule of action.
   • Shakespeare

     Prescribe not us our duties.

   • Dryden

     Let streams prescribe their fountains where to run.

Related terms

• prescription
• prescriptionist
• prescriptive

• prescriptivism
• prescriptivist

Translations

to order a drug or medical device

• Afrikaans: voorskryf
• Albanian: parashkruaj (sq)
• Arabic: وصف
• Armenian: նշանակել (hy) ‎(nšanakel)
• Basque: errezetatu
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 開藥 (zh), 开药 (zh) ‎(kāiyào), 處方 (zh), 处方 (zh) ‎(chǔfāng)

• Czech: předepsat
• Dutch: voorschrijven (nl)
• Finnish: kirjoittaa resepti, määrätä (fi)
• French: prescrire (fr), indiquer (fr)
• German: verschreiben (de), verordnen (de)

• Hungarian: felír (hu)
• Ido: preskriptar (io)
• Italian: prescrivere (it)
• Japanese: 処方する (ja) ‎(しょほうする, shohō suru)
• Maori: tūtohi, tūtohu
• Ngazidja Comorian: hwekeza
• Persian: نسخه نوشتن ‎(nosxe neveštan), نسخه پیچیدن (fa) ‎(nosxe pičidan)
• Portuguese: prescrever (pt), receitar (pt)
• Romanian: prescrie (ro)
• Russian: пропи́сывать (ru) impf ‎(propísyvatʹ), прописа́ть (ru) pf ‎(propisátʹ), назнача́ть (ru) impf ‎(naznačátʹ), назна́чить (ru) pf ‎(naznáčitʹ)
• Spanish: prescribir (es), recetar (es)
• Swedish: ordinera (sv), förskriva
• Turkish: reçete yazmak

to specify as a required procedure or ritual

• Albanian: porosis, urdhëroj (sq)
• Arabic: أمر (ar)
• Bengali: আদেশ করা ‎(ādēśa karā)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 規定 (zh), 规定 (zh) ‎(guīdìng)

• Dutch: voorschrijven (nl)
• Finnish: säätää (fi), määrätä (fi)
• French: ordonner (fr)
• German: vorschreiben (de), verordnen (de)

• Hungarian: előír (hu)
• Japanese: 規定する (ja) ‎(きていする, kitei suru)
• Persian: تجویز کردن (fa) ‎(tajviz kardan)
• Portuguese: prescrever (pt), ordenar (pt)
• Romanian: prescrie (ro)
• Russian: предпи́сывать (ru) impf ‎(predpísyvatʹ), предписа́ть (ru) pf ‎(predpisátʹ), устана́вливать (ru) impf ‎(ustanávlivatʹ), установи́ть (ru) pf ‎(ustanovítʹ)
• Spanish: prescribir (es)
• Swedish: skriva ut (sv)

See also

• proscribe

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Spanish

Verb

prescribe

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of prescribir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of prescribir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of prescribir.