English → Latin
“prescribe” in Latin
praecipiōto take or seize beforehand, in advance; to anticipate; to enjoin, direct, order, commandstatuōto put up (something); to stand (something) in an upright position; to establish, determine, fix (the form or character
The English word prescribe itself goes back to Latin scrībō, through praescrībere.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
prescribe
To command, praecipere, or praescribere alicui aliquid, or with ut: to prescribe to anybody what to do, praescribere alicui quae agenda sunt: to prescribe a rule or law to one’s self, sibi ipsi aliquid praescribere, or legem scribere, statuere.
(As a physician)(As a physician), medicamenta praescribere (Cic.): for a disease, morbo remedium proponere (Nep.): valetudinis curationem praescribere (Cic.).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for prescribe?
- The usual Latin words for “prescribe” are praecipiō, statuō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.