prescription
n.-
1 medical order (n.) B1 Intermediate Medicinea 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.
ExampleThe doctor wrote me a prescription for some strong painkillers after my surgery.
ExampleThe pharmacist refused to dispense the medication because the prescription lacked the necessary physician signature and date of issue.
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2 the medicine itself (n.) B1 Intermediate Medicinethe actual medicine that a doctor has ordered for you.
the medicine or remedy prescribed by a medical professional.
ExampleI need to stop at the chemist to pick up my prescription.
ExamplePatients are advised to finish their entire prescription of antibiotics even if they begin to feel better after a few days.
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3 a recommendation or rule (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea rule or a plan for how something should be done or handled.
a recommendation, rule, or formal direction for action or conduct.
ExampleHer prescription for a happy life is simple: eat well and sleep enough.
ExampleThe economist's prescription for the failing industry involved a controversial mix of tax breaks and aggressive deregulation.
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4 linguistic rules (n.) C1 Advanced Academic Technical Sciencethe act of making rules about how a language should be used correctly.
the establishment of authoritative norms for language use, often contrasted with description.
ExampleSome teachers prefer strict prescription, while others just describe how people actually speak.
ExampleLinguistic prescription often reflects the social biases of the era rather than the inherent logic of the language itself.
- prescriptivism
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5 legal time limit (n.) C2 Proficiency Formal Technical Lawa 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.
ExampleThe company argued that the claim was invalid because of the law of prescription.
ExampleUnder the principle of acquisitive prescription, the occupant gained legal title to the land after twenty years of uninterrupted use.
- limitation
- statute of limitations
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.