prescribe

Where does the word "prescribe" come from? It comes from Latin praescribere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Prescribe’s story begins in Latin: praescribere meant “to write beforehand, to lay down rules.” To write before, to lay down in advance, from prae- (before) and scribere (to write). It reached English by 1400s as prescribe. Settled as the English word for recommending a treatment, or laying down a rule. Today, prescribe means to recommend a medical treatment, or to lay down a rule or guideline.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient praescribere "to write beforehand, to lay down rules", to write before, to lay down in advance, from prae- (before) and scribere (to write).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s prescribe "to recommend a treatment, or to lay down a rule", settled as the English word for recommending a treatment, or laying down a rule.