Praescript

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A written direction or recipe that serves as a guide ; a long-established practice or convention accepted as binding
2. A formula or set of instructions written down for reference ; an accepted tradition or standard procedure followed without question
3. A prescribed formula or written guideline ; a deeply ingrained custom or practice that has become normative through time and acceptance

Etymology: Latin "praescriptum" was the neuter past participle of "praescribere," formed from "prae," meaning "before," and "scribere," "to write." To write something down beforehand is to fix it in advance, so a "praescriptum" was a rule or instruction set down in writing ahead of time. English borrowed the term from Latin, probably in the late Middle Ages. Early writers often kept the Latin "ae" spelling, which is why this form turns up in older texts, though the modern spelling is "prescript." The word belongs to the same family as "prescribe" and "prescription," and it has kept the sense of a directive laid down as an authority.