1. To officially follow a doctor's instructions for a patient to follow a particular course of medical treatment: Jim's doctor prescribed a medicine that had details of how often the drug had to be taken, how much was to be consumed, and other relevant information for him to follow.
2. To present rules or instructions that are to be followed exactly as presented: Mark's new employer prescribes that new workers must pass a physical examination before they can become employees or members of the company.
3. To do something that is suggested as a way to accomplish or to make an objective or an intention succeed as desired: A group of many parents is prescribing the improvement of the educational system in their community.
4. Etymology: from Latin praescribere, "to write before or in front, to order, to direct" from prae-, "before" + scribere, "to write." © ALL rights are reserved.

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