noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/pɹəˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
proscribed:/pɝˈskɹɪp.ʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R AH0 S K R IH1 P SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A written order from an authorized medical practitioner for provision of a medicine or other treatment, such as (ophthalmology) the specific lenses needed for a pair of glasses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: pharmacy
Topics: medicine, pharmacology, sciences
Examples
The surgeon had written thousands of prescriptions for pain killers without proper examinations before the police raided the clinic.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: scrip, forescript, Rx, ℞
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The medicine or treatment provided by such an order.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, sciences
Examples
I need you to pick up gramma's prescriptions on your way home.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any plan of treatment or handling; the treatment or handling thus provided.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable
Examples
Early to bed and early to rise is a prescription for a long, healthy, and terrible life.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Synonym of enactment, the act of establishing a law, regulation, etc., particularly in writing; an instance of this.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enactment
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The act of establishing or formalizing ideal norms for language use, as opposed to describing the actual norms of such use; an instance of this.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
An established time period within which a right must be exercised and after which it is null and permanently unenforceable.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
An established time period after which a person who has uninterruptedly, peacefully, and publicly used another's property acquires full ownership of it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: acquisitive prescription, usucaption
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Synonym of self-restraint, limiting of one's actions especially according to a moral code or social conventions.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: self-restraint, limiting of one's actions especially according to a moral code or social conventions
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
a drug that is available only with written instructions from a doctor or dentist to a pharmacist
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he told the doctor that he had been taking his prescription regularly
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: prescription drug, prescription medicine, ethical drug
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: medicine, medication, medicament, medicinal drug
Narrower terms: refill
10
noun
Meaning 10
written instructions from a physician or dentist to a druggist concerning the form and dosage of a drug to be issued to a given patient
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: written communication, written language, black and white
11
noun
Meaning 11
written instructions for an optician on the lenses for a given person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: written communication, written language, black and white
12
noun
Meaning 12
directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
I tried to follow her prescription for success
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: direction, instruction
History
Etymology
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.
Across languages
Translations
166 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
recetë
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Arabic:
وَصْفَة طِبِّيَّة
(waṣfa ṭibbiyya)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Arabic:
وَصْفَة
(waṣfa)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Armenian:
դեղատոմս
(deġatoms)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Armenian:
ռեցեպտ
(ṙecʻept)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Azerbaijani:
resept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Azerbaijani:
nüsxə
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Belarusian:
рэцэ́пт
(recépt)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Bengali:
প্রেসক্রিপশন
(preśokripośon)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Bulgarian:
реце́пта
(recépta)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Burmese:
ဆေးစာ
(hce:ca)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Catalan:
recepta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese Cantonese:
藥方 /药方
(joek6 fong1)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese Cantonese:
處方 /处方
(cyu2 fong1)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese:
藥方 /药方
(zh-min-nan)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese:
處方 /处方
(zh-min-nan)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese Mandarin:
藥方 /药方
(yàofāng)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Chinese Mandarin:
處方 /处方
(chǔfāng)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Czech:
předpis
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Danish:
recept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Dutch:
voorschrift
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Dutch:
recept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Egyptian:
F5-w-Y1:Z2
(šsꜣw)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Estonian:
retsept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Finnish:
resepti
— written order for the administration of a medicine
French:
ordonnance
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Georgian:
რეცეპტი
(receṗṭi)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
German:
Rezept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
German:
Verschreibung
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Greek:
συνταγή
(syntagí)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Ancient Greek:
ἀναγραφή
(anagraphḗ)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Haitian Creole:
preskripsyon
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Hebrew:
מִרְשָׁם
(mirshám)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Hindi:
नुसख़ा
(nusxā)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Hindi:
प्रिस्क्रिप्शन
(priskripśan)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Hungarian:
recept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Icelandic:
lyfseðill
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Indonesian:
resep dokter
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Indonesian:
resep
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Irish:
oideas
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Italian:
ricetta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Italian:
prescrizione
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Japanese:
処方
(shohō)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Japanese:
処方箋
(shohōsen)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Kazakh:
ресеп
(resep)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Kazakh:
дәріқағаз
(därıqağaz)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Khmer:
វេជ្ជបញ្ជា
(vɨccĕəʼ bɑɑbɑñciə)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Khmer:
សំបុត្រទិញថ្នាំ
(sɑmbot tɨñ thnam)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Khmer:
វេជ្ជបញ្ញត្តិ
(vɨccĕəʼbaññat)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Khmer:
អាណាប័ណ្ណ
(ʼaanaa ban)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Korean:
처방
(cheobang)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Korean:
처방전
(cheobangjeon)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Northern Kurdish:
nusxe
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Northern Kurdish:
raçêt
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Kyrgyz:
рецепт
(retsept)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Lao:
ຂນານ
(kha nān)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Latvian:
recepte
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Lithuanian:
receptas
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Macedonian:
реце́пт
(recépt)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Malay:
surat ubat
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Malay:
preskripsi
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Māori:
whakahau rongoā
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Māori:
ōta rongoā
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Mongolian:
жор
(žor)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Mongolian:
эмийн жор
(emiin žor)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Mongolian:
ᠵᠣᠷ
(ǰor)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Mongolian:
ᠡᠮ ᠦᠨ ᠵᠣᠷ
(em-ün ǰor)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Norwegian Bokmål:
resept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Norwegian Bokmål:
brilleseddel
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Norwegian Nynorsk:
resept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Norwegian Nynorsk:
brillesetel
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Pashto:
نسخه
(nosxá)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Iranian Persian:
نُسْخِه
(nosxe)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Iranian Persian:
نُسْخِهٔ پِزِشْک
(nosxe-ye pezešk)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Iranian Persian:
تَجْویز
(tajviz)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Polish:
recepta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Portuguese:
receita
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Romanian:
rețetă
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Russian:
реце́пт
(recépt)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Russian:
предписа́ние
(predpisánije)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Scottish Gaelic:
riaghailt-lèigh
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Scottish Gaelic:
òrdugh-cungaidh
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Serbo-Croatian:
рѐцепт
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Serbo-Croatian:
rècept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Sicilian:
rizzetta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Slovak:
predpis
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Slovene:
recept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Spanish:
receta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Spanish:
medida
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Swedish:
recept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Tagalog:
reseta
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Tajik:
нусха
(nusxa)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Tajik:
ретсепт
(retsept)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Thai:
ใบสั่งยา
(bai-sàng-yaa)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Tibetan:
སྨན་ཐོ
(sman tho)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Turkish:
reçete
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Turkmen:
resept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Ukrainian:
реце́пт
(recépt)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Urdu:
نُسْخَہ
(nusxa)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Urdu:
پْریسْکْرِپْشَن
(preskripśan)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Uyghur:
رېتسېپ
(rëtsëp)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Uzbek:
retsept
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Vietnamese:
toa thuốc
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Welsh:
rhagnodyn
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Yakut:
рецепт
(retsept)
— written order for the administration of a medicine
Bulgarian:
лека́рство по реце́пта
(lekárstvo po recépta)
— prescribed medicine
Finnish:
reseptilääke
— prescribed medicine
French:
prescription
— prescribed medicine
Indonesian:
resep
— prescribed medicine
Sicilian:
midicini
— prescribed medicine
Spanish:
remedios recetados
— prescribed medicine
Spanish:
medicinas
— prescribed medicine
Spanish:
medicamentos
— prescribed medicine
Polish:
recepta
— plan of treatment or planned treatment
Polish:
przepis
— plan of treatment or planned treatment
Russian:
лека́рство по реце́пту
(lekárstvo po recéptu)
— plan of treatment or planned treatment
Spanish:
receta
— plan of treatment or planned treatment
Bulgarian:
наре́ждане
(naréždane)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Bulgarian:
предписа́ние
(predpisánie)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Dutch:
uitvaardigen
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Finnish:
säätäminen
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
French:
prescription
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
German:
Rechtssetzung
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Greek:
παραγραφή
(paragrafí)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Italian:
direttiva
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Italian:
disposizione
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Italian:
ordine
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Italian:
norma
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Italian:
ricetta
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Polish:
normotwórstwo
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Polish:
rozporządzanie
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Polish:
rozporządzenie
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Romanian:
prescripție
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Romanian:
recomandare
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Russian:
предписа́ние
(predpisánije)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Russian:
распоряже́ние
(rasporjažénije)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Russian:
прескри́пция
(preskrípcija)
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Spanish:
prescripción
— the act of establishing a law or regulation in writing; an instance of this
Dutch:
taalregulering
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
French:
prescription
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Polish:
preskrypcja
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Polish:
kodyfikacja normatywna
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Polish:
kodyfikacja preskryptywna
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Romanian:
prescripție
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Russian:
прескри́пция
(preskrípcija)
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Serbo-Croatian:
pròpis
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Serbo-Croatian:
preskrìpcija
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Spanish:
prescripción
— the act or practice of laying down norms of language usage; an instance of this
Arabic:
تَقَادُم
(taqādum)
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Bulgarian:
да́вност
(dávnost)
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Dutch:
bevrijdende verjaring
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Finnish:
vanhentumisaika
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
French:
prescription extinctive
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
French:
prescription libératoire
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
German:
Verjährung
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Hungarian:
elévülés
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Italian:
prescrizione estintiva
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Norwegian Bokmål:
foreldelse
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Polish:
przedawnienie
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Portuguese:
prescrição extintiva
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Romanian:
prescripția răspunderii penale
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Russian:
срок да́вности
(srok dávnosti)
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Russian:
да́вность
(dávnostʹ)
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Spanish:
prescripción extintiva
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Spanish:
prescripción liberatoria
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
Thai:
อายุความ
(aa-yú-kwaam)
— extinctive or liberative prescription — see also statute of limitations
