prescribe

Intermediatezipf 3.39

Pronunciation

/prɪˈskraɪb/(prih-SKRYBE)

Part of speech

verbneutral

Chinese

开处方；规定；规定要做的事

Definition

(of a doctor) To advise and authorise the use of a medicine or treatment; to recommend with authority; to lay down as a rule.

Word family

  • prescription/prɪˈskrɪpʃən/(n)处方
  • prescribed/prɪˈskraɪbd/(adj)规定的
  • prescriptive/prɪˈskrɪptɪv/(adj)规定性的

Collocations

  • prescribe medication
  • prescribe a treatment
  • prescribed dose
  • prescribed by law
  • prescribe antibiotics

Examples

  1. 1.The doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics for the infection. (medical)
  2. 2.The regulations prescribe specific safety standards that all manufacturers must follow. (lay down rules)

Synonyms

  • recommend/ˌrɛkəˈmɛnd/— to suggest — less authoritative
  • mandate/ˈmændeɪt/— to officially require — for rules
  • dictate/dɪkˈteɪt/— to lay down authoritatively — stronger

Etymology

from Latin "praescribere" (to write before, to order) — prae- (before) + scribere (to write)