LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

praescrībō

praescrībō (present infinitive praescrībere, perfect active praescrīpsī, supine praescrīptum)
Classical[prae̯sˈkriː.boː]Ecclesiastical[presˈkriː.bo]

Meaning

  1. to write in front; to prefix
  2. to order, appoint, direct, command or prescribe

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.praescrībōpraescrībēbampraescrībampraescrīpsīpraescrīpserampraescrīpserō
2nd sg.praescrībispraescrībēbāspraescrībēspraescrīpsistīpraescrīpserāspraescrīpseris
3rd sg.praescrībitpraescrībēbatpraescrībetpraescrīpsitpraescrīpseratpraescrīpserit
1st pl.praescrībimuspraescrībēbāmuspraescrībēmuspraescrīpsimuspraescrīpserāmuspraescrīpserimus
2nd pl.praescrībitispraescrībēbātispraescrībētispraescrīpsistispraescrīpserātispraescrīpseritis
3rd pl.praescrībuntpraescrībēbantpraescrībentpraescrīpsērunt
praescrīpsēre		praescrīpserantpraescrīpserint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.praescrībampraescrīberempraescrīpserimpraescrīpsissem
2nd sg.praescrībāspraescrīberēspraescrīpserīspraescrīpsissēs
3rd sg.praescrībatpraescrīberetpraescrīpseritpraescrīpsisset
1st pl.praescrībāmuspraescrīberēmuspraescrīpserīmuspraescrīpsissēmus
2nd pl.praescrībātispraescrīberētispraescrīpserītispraescrīpsissētis
3rd pl.praescrībantpraescrīberentpraescrīpserintpraescrīpsissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.praescrīborpraescrībēbarpraescrībar
2nd sg.praescrīberis
praescrībere		praescrībēbāris
praescrībēbāre		praescrībēris
praescrībēre
3rd sg.praescrībiturpraescrībēbāturpraescrībētur
1st pl.praescrībimurpraescrībēbāmurpraescrībēmur
2nd pl.praescrībiminīpraescrībēbāminīpraescrībēminī
3rd pl.praescrībunturpraescrībēbanturpraescrībentur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.praescrībarpraescrīberer
2nd sg.praescrībāris
praescrībāre		praescrīberēris
praescrīberēre
3rd sg.praescrībāturpraescrīberētur
1st pl.praescrībāmurpraescrīberēmur
2nd pl.praescrībāminīpraescrīberēminī
3rd pl.praescrībanturpraescrīberentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.praescrībepraescrībere
pres. 2nd pl.praescrībitepraescrībiminī
fut. 2nd sg.praescrībitōpraescrībitor
fut. 3rd sg.praescrībitōpraescrībitor
fut. 2nd pl.praescrībitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.praescrībuntōpraescrībuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivepraescrīberepraescrībī
perfect infinitivepraescrīpsissepraescrīptum esse
future infinitivepraescrīptūrum essepraescrīptum īrī
present participlepraescrībēns—
perfect participle—praescrīptus
praescrīpta, praescrīptā, praescrīptae, praescrīptam, praescrīptārum, praescrīptās, praescrīpte, praescrīptī, praescrīptīs, praescrīptō, praescrīptōrum, praescrīptōs
future participlepraescrīptūrus
praescrīptūra, praescrīptūrā, praescrīptūrae, praescrīptūram, praescrīptūrārum, praescrīptūrās, praescrīptūre, praescrīptūrī, praescrīptūrīs, praescrīptūrō, praescrīptūrōrum, praescrīptūrōs, praescrīptūrum		praescrībendus
praescrībundus, praescrībenda, praescrībendā, praescrībendae, praescrībendam, praescrībendārum, praescrībendās, praescrībende, praescrībendīs, praescrībendōrum, praescrībendōs
gerundpraescrībendī, praescrībendō, praescrībendumsupinepraescrīptum, praescrīptū

prae-scrībo, psi, ptum, 3, v. a.,
I. to write before, in front, or previously, to prefix in writing (syn.: praefinio, praestituo).
I. Lit.: pagina nomen sibi quae Vari praescripsit, Verg. E. 6, 11: monimentis consulum nomina, Tac. A. 3, 57; cf.: praescriptum (sc. in signis) Vespasiani nomen, id. H. 3, 13: nomen ipsius virtutis libro, Gell. 11, 16, 7: epistula, cui titulus praescriptus est, pluria non plura dici debere, id. 5, 21, 10: auctoritates praescriptae, the recorded names of senators present when a decree was made, Cic. de Or. 3, 2, 5: ut praescripsimus, as we remarked before, Vell. 2, 21, 1.—
B. Transf., to trace out: praescripta lineamenta, Plin. 35, 10, 36, § 92.—
II. Trop.
A. To order, appoint, direct, command, prescribe: finem rebus, Ter. And. 1, 1, 124: sic enim praescripsimus iis, quibus ea negotia mandavimus, ut, etc., Cic. Fam. 13, 26, 2: cum ei praescriptum esset, ne, etc., id. Att. 16, 3, 6: iis praescribendus est imperandi modus, id. Leg. 3, 2, 5: lege aliquid, id. Clu. 53, 147: si ipse populo Romano non praescriberet, quemadmodum suo jure uteretur, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 36: quid fieri oporteret, ipsi sibi praescribere poterant, id. ib. 2, 20: ut majorum jura moresque praescribunt, Cic. Font. 16, 36: curationem valetudinis, id. Div. 2, 59, 123: jura civibus, id. Sen. 9, 27: senatui quae sunt agenda, id. ib. 6, 18: praescribere et constituere aliquid, id. Caecin. 27, 76: praescribere aliquid et quasi imperare, id. Ac. 2, 3, 8: praescriptis verbis agendum est, Dig. 19, tit. 19, 2.—
B. In law, to bring an exception against, to except, object, or demur to: ignominioso patri filius praescribit, Quint. 7, 5, 3; Dig. 47, 15, 3.—
C. To dictate: carmina, Tib. 4, 1, 177.—
D. To write down, put down in writing: testamentum litteris, Dig. 29, 1, 40.—
E. (I. q. praetexere, obtentui sumere.) To use as a pretext: aliquem, Tac. A. 4, 52; 11, 16; cf. praescriptio, II. A.—
F. To describe or depict beforehand: tum (Nero) formam futuri principatūs praescripsit, Tac. A. 13, 4.—Hence, praescriptum, i, n., something prescribed, a copy, task, lesson to imitate or to get by heart (class.).
A. Lit.: puerile praescriptum, Sen. Ep. 94, 9: pueri ad praescriptum discunt, id. ib. 94, 51.—
B. Trop.
1. A precept, order, rule: praescripta candida supremae calcis, i. e. metae, Lucr. 6, 92: omnia legum imperio et praescripto fieri videbitis, Cic. Clu. 53, 147; so, legis, Suet. Claud. 14; Amm. 14, 1, 5; 29, 1, 27: praescripta servare, Cic. Off. 1, 26, 92: ad praescriptum, according to order, Caes. B. G. 1, 36; id. B. C. 3, 51; Liv. 10, 22: ex communi praescripto civitatis, Cic. Inv. 2, 45, 132; cf.: ex Augusti praescripto, Suet. Ner. 10: hoc ejus praescripto, Caes. B. C. 1, 87 fin.: ultra praescriptum, beyond or contrary to rule, irregularly, illegally, Suet. Caes. 28.—
2. The prescribed limits or bounds: intra praescriptum equitare, Hor. C. 2, 9, 23.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*préh₂i?
  4. Proto-Italic*prai
  5. Proto-Italic*prai-
  6. Latinpraescrībō

Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-? Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ- Proto-Indo-European *(s)kréybʰeti Proto-Italic *skreiβō Latin scrībō Latin praescrībō From prae- + scrībō.

Descendants
  • Catalanprescriure
  • Englishprescribe
  • Frenchprescrire
  • Italianprescrivere
  • Occitanprescriure
  • Portugueseprescrever
  • Romanianprescrie
  • Spanishprescribir
  • Asturianprescribir
  • Galicianprescribir

In English words that came into English from praescrībō

  • prescriptionpraescriptio
  • prescribepraescrībere
  • prescriptivepraescriptivus

Quick answers

What does praescrībō mean in Latin?
praescrībō, a verb, means “to write in front; to prefix; to order, appoint, direct, command or prescribe”.
What are the principal parts of praescrībō?
praescrībō, praescrībere, praescrīpsī, praescrīptum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce praescrībō?
In classical Latin, [prae̯sˈkriː.boː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [presˈkriː.bo].
Where does praescrībō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *per- → Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? → Proto-Italic *prai → Proto-Italic *prai- → Latin praescrībō.
Which English words come from praescrībō?
English words that go back to Latin praescrībō include prescribe, prescription and prescriptive.