Prescription

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈskɹɪpʃən/

Definitions

1. A written instruction from a doctor specifying medicine or treatment that a patient should receive
2. A document issued by a healthcare professional that details the specific medication or therapy recommended for a patient's health condition
3. A formal order from a medical practitioner outlining the required drugs or treatments for a patient’s diagnosis

Etymology: The Latin "praescriptio" originally meant something written ahead of time, and it carried a sense of a preface or a pretext, a line placed before the main text. Its parts are "prae-", meaning "before," and "scribere," "to write," with the "-tio" ending that turns a verb into a noun of action. The Latin word passed into Old French as "prescripcion," and English borrowed it from Middle French. The English noun grew alongside the verb "prescribe," which is built on the same Latin root. Within that family, the idea of writing something beforehand came to mean laying down a rule or a remedy in advance. A doctor writing a medicine order is doing exactly that: setting out, in writing, what a patient should take before the patient asks for it.

Synonyms: recommendation, directive, order

Antonyms: prohibition, ban