Dictionary

prescription en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /pɝˈskɹɪp.ʃən/ (proscribed)
• (US) audio
• /pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French, from Old French prescripcion, from Latin praescriptio (“preface; pretext; something written ahead of time”), from prae- (“pre-, before”) + scribere (“to write”) + -tio (“-tion, forming nouns”). Equivalent to prescribe + -tion.

Meanings

1. (countable, qualifier:pharmacy, uncountable) A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses.
   • An old traditional prescription for provoking erotic inclinations ran as follows, The toe of the foot of a man, anointed with oil, or honey, or the ashes of a weasel. 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 234:
   • The surgeon had written thousands of prescriptions for pain killers without proper examinations before the police raided the clinic.
2. (countable, uncountable) The medicine or treatment provided by such an order.
   • "Oh, yes; she is the only sort of person for a nurse. She always," cried Lady Anne, with a sneer, "comes to you with a receipt for a pudding in one hand to make you ill, and then a prescription in the other to cure you." 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 9:
   • I need you to pick up gramma's prescriptions on your way home.
3. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Any plan of treatment or handling; the treatment or handling thus provided.
   • ...looking at him I saw that I had been wrong in my prescription, if not in my diagnosis, and that the whisky was working against us. 1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 157:
   • Change is the universal prescription for a wounded spirit. "It will do you so much good," is the constant remark. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Return to Courtenaye Hall”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 145:
   • Early to bed and early to rise is a prescription for a long, healthy, and terrible life.
4. (countable, uncountable) Synonym of enactment, the act of establishing a law, regulation, etc., particularly in writing; an instance of this.
   • A statute that cannot find justification for its prescription in one or more of these principles violates international law. 1997, Richard G. Alexander, “Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996: Congress Exceeds Its Jurisdiction to Prescribe Law”, in Washington & Lee Law Review, page 1609:
5. (countable, uncountable) The act of establishing or formalizing ideal norms for language use, as opposed to describing the actual norms of such use; an instance of this.
6. (countable, uncountable) An established time period within which a right must be exercised and after which it is null and permanently unenforceable.
7. (countable, uncountable) An established time period after which a person who has uninterruptedly, peacefully, and publicly used another's property acquires full ownership of it.
8. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of self-restraint, limiting of one's actions especially according to a moral code or social conventions.
   • There is an air of prescription about him which is always agreeable to Sir Leicester; he receives it as a kind of tribute. 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 2, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

non-prescription · prescriptionistic · e-prescription · prescription bottle · coprescription · underprescription · represcription · misprescription · overprescription · prescriptionless · nonprescription · prescription drug · deprescription · prescription glasses · prescriptionist

Relateds

prescribe · prescriptivism

Synonyms

liberative prescription · self-restraint · acquisitive prescription · Rx · forescript · limiting of one's actions especially according to a moral code or social conventions · usucaption · ℞ · scrip · extinctive prescription · enactment

Translations (165)

km អាណាប័ណ្ណ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ja 処方箋 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ms preskripsi (written order for the administration of a medicine) · sk predpis (written order for the administration of a medicine) · id resep dokter (written order for the administration of a medicine) · pl rozporządzanie (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · pt prescrição extintiva (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · th อายุความ (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · nan-hbl 處方 /处方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ky рецепт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · tr reçete (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fr ordonnance (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru предписа́ние (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · az resept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fr prescription extinctive (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · nn resept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es prescripción liberatoria (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · mk реце́пт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · km សំបុត្រទិញថ្នាំ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru лека́рство по реце́пту (plan of treatment or planned treatment) · fr prescription libératoire (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · pl przedawnienie (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · uz retsept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ro recomandare (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · ar وَصْفَة (written order for the administration of a medicine) · mn жор (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fa-ira نُسْخِه (written order for the administration of a medicine) · bg предписа́ние (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · tk resept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · be рэцэ́пт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fi säätäminen (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · pl przepis (plan of treatment or planned treatment) · el παραγραφή (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · grc ἀναγραφή (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ps نسخه (written order for the administration of a medicine) · kmr nusxe (written order for the administration of a medicine) · mn эмийн жор (written order for the administration of a medicine) · pl normotwórstwo (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · cmn 處方 /处方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it disposizione (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · it direttiva (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · mi whakahau rongoā (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fr prescription (prescribed medicine) · sh pròpis (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · es medicinas (prescribed medicine) · ga oideas (written order for the administration of a medicine) · th ใบสั่งยา (written order for the administration of a medicine) · mn ᠡᠮ ᠦᠨ ᠵᠣᠷ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · bg наре́ждане (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · pl kodyfikacja normatywna (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · da recept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it prescrizione (written order for the administration of a medicine) · lo ຂນານ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fi reseptilääke (prescribed medicine) · mn ᠵᠣᠷ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ro prescripție (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · es medida (written order for the administration of a medicine) · gd riaghailt-lèigh (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ko 처방전 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · mi ōta rongoā (written order for the administration of a medicine) · bg реце́пта (written order for the administration of a medicine) · pl kodyfikacja preskryptywna (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · es prescripción (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · bg лека́рство по реце́пта (prescribed medicine) · az nüsxə (written order for the administration of a medicine) · my ဆေးစာ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ug رېتسېپ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · yue 處方 /处方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · lt receptas (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ro prescripția răspunderii penale (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · pl rozporządzenie (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · pt receita (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nl taalregulering (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · sah рецепт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ms surat ubat (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ja 処方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · vi toa thuốc (written order for the administration of a medicine) · pl preskrypcja (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · bo སྨན་ཐོ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru прескри́пция (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · km វេជ្ជបញ្ជា (written order for the administration of a medicine) · sv recept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · is lyfseðill (written order for the administration of a medicine) · hy դեղատոմս (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ro rețetă (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nl voorschrift (written order for the administration of a medicine) · bg да́вност (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · hu recept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ro prescripție (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · pl recepta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es medicamentos (prescribed medicine) · fa-ira نُسْخِهٔ پِزِشْک (written order for the administration of a medicine) · bn প্রেসক্রিপশন (written order for the administration of a medicine) · tg дорухат (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it norma (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · ru да́вность (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · ru срок да́вности (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · fi resepti (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nn brillesetel (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nan-hbl 藥方 /药方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nl bevrijdende verjaring (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · ko 처방 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · kk дәріқағаз (written order for the administration of a medicine) · km វេជ្ជបញ្ញត្តិ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ar وَصْفَة طِبِّيَّة (written order for the administration of a medicine) · gd òrdugh-cungaidh (written order for the administration of a medicine) · tl reseta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · no resept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es prescripción (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · cs předpis (written order for the administration of a medicine) · no brilleseddel (written order for the administration of a medicine) · hy ռեցեպտ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · hu elévülés (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · id resep (prescribed medicine) · fr prescription (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · sq recetë (written order for the administration of a medicine) · id resep (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fi vanhentumisaika (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · sh preskrìpcija (the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this) · sl recept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · et retsept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ht preskripsyon (written order for the administration of a medicine) · hi नुसख़ा (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it prescrizione estintiva (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · sh rècept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ur نُسْخَہ (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es receta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · sh рѐцепт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es prescripción extintiva (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · cmn 藥方 /药方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it ricetta (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · de Rechtssetzung (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · scn rizzetta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · scn midicini (prescribed medicine) · pl recepta (plan of treatment or planned treatment) · fa-ira تَجْویز (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru предписа́ние (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru прескри́пция (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · he מִרְשָׁם (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru распоряже́ние (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · ca recepta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · hi प्रिस्क्रिप्शन (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it ordine (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · ar تَقَادُم (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · el συνταγή (written order for the administration of a medicine) · yue 藥方 /药方 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · egy F5-w-Y1:Z2 (written order for the administration of a medicine) · de Verjährung (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · ur پْریسْکْرِپْشَن (written order for the administration of a medicine) · fr prescription (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this) · es remedios recetados (prescribed medicine) · kmr raçêt (written order for the administration of a medicine) · kk ресеп (written order for the administration of a medicine) · es receta (plan of treatment or planned treatment) · uk реце́пт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ru реце́пт (written order for the administration of a medicine) · cy rhagnodyn (written order for the administration of a medicine) · lv recepte (written order for the administration of a medicine) · ka რეცეპტი (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nl recept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nb foreldelse (extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations) · de Verschreibung (written order for the administration of a medicine) · it ricetta (written order for the administration of a medicine) · de Rezept (written order for the administration of a medicine) · nl uitvaardigen (the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this)