prompt
n. countablen. a set of instructions or a question that tells you what to do next. You might see this on a computer screen or get one from a teacher to help you start writing.
n. an instruction, question, or cue provided to elicit a specific response or action. In computing, it refers to a character or message on a screen indicating that the system is ready for input.
The teacher gave us a writing prompt about our summer holidays.
After you enter your password, a prompt appears on the screen asking for a verification code.
The software engineer refined the AI prompt to ensure the generated code adhered to the company's internal security protocols and style guidelines.
The adjective is from Middle English prompte, from Middle French prompt and its etymon Latin prōmptus (“visible, apparent, evident”), past participle of prōmō (“to take or bring out or forth, produce, bring to light”), from prō (“forth, forward”) + emō (“to take, acquire, buy”). Doublet of pronto. The verb is from Middle English prompen, apparently from the adjective. The noun is from the verb.
Commonly used in educational contexts for writing tasks and in technical contexts for user interfaces.