prescription
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a piece of paper from a doctor that allows you to get a specific medicine from a pharmacy.
a written order from a licensed medical practitioner authorizing a patient to be provided with a specific medication or treatment.
Simple“The doctor wrote me a prescription for some strong painkillers after my surgery.”
In context“The pharmacist refused to dispense the medication because the prescription lacked the necessary physician signature and date of issue.”
Synonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
the actual medicine that a doctor has ordered for you.
the medicine or remedy prescribed by a medical professional.
Simple“I need to stop at the chemist to pick up my prescription.”
In context“Patients are advised to finish their entire prescription of antibiotics even if they begin to feel better after a few days.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
a rule or a plan for how something should be done or handled.
a recommendation, rule, or formal direction for action or conduct.
Simple“Her prescription for a happy life is simple: eat well and sleep enough.”
In context“The economist's prescription for the failing industry involved a controversial mix of tax breaks and aggressive deregulation.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
the act of making rules about how a language should be used correctly.
the establishment of authoritative norms for language use, often contrasted with description.
Simple“Some teachers prefer strict prescription, while others just describe how people actually speak.”
In context“Linguistic prescription often reflects the social biases of the era rather than the inherent logic of the language itself.”
SynonymsprescriptivismAntonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
a rule that says a right or a claim is lost if it is not used within a certain time.
the acquisition of a right or title, or the loss of a right to sue, through the effect of a lapse of time.
Simple“The company argued that the claim was invalid because of the law of prescription.”
In context“Under the principle of acquisitive prescription, the occupant gained legal title to the land after twenty years of uninterrupted use.”
Synonymslimitationstatute of limitations
prescription vs recipe — A recipe is for the kitchen; a prescription is for the pharmacy.
“Most users buy the drugs with a private prescription.”
“Then, two years ago, he swapped pints for prescription drugs he discovered through social media.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.