praescribo

Forms

praescrībō (present infinitive praescrībere, perfect active praescrīpsī, supine praescrīptum); third conjugation^[1] The surveyor Agennius writes the participle praescribtus.^[2] Old manuscripts also have pre-.^[3]

Etymology

It is from Latin prae- + scrībō (“to write”).^[2][3] De Vaan traces ⟨scrībō⟩ to Proto-Italic *skreif-e/o- (“to carve”) and Proto-Indo-European *skreibʰ-e/o- (“to carve”), cognate with Oscan scriftas (“written”), Umbrian screhto (“written”) and Latvian skrīpât (“to scratch, scribble”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest example is Terence's Andria: “you have set a limit to these things”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Literally it is “to write at the head”, as a name at the top of a letter (Caesar says Pompey never did so with his new title) or on a standard, and in law to enter an objection at the head of a formula.^[2] It is also to describe earlier in a work, to give as a pretext, and to trace in outline, as Pliny's furrows marked out for planting.^[2] Above all it means to lay down, prescribe, appoint, as in Terence, and to set a pattern to follow: Cicero hoped his speech would give the young a lesson worth remembering.^[2]

Church Latin glosses it “order, prescribe”.^[5] English prescribe (mid-15th century) first meant “to write down as a rule”.^[6]

Timeline

• 190–159 BC – Terence of setting a limit.^[2][7]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar of a title at the head of letters.^[2][7]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of setting a pattern.^[2][7]
• mid-15th century – English prescribe.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To write at the head, prefix; in law, to enter an objection at the head of a formula.^[2][8][1]
2. To describe earlier; to give as a pretext.^[2]
3. To trace in outline; to set as a pattern, teach.^[2]
4. To lay down, prescribe, appoint, order.^[2][1][5]

Word family

• praescrīptiō
• praescriptiuus
• praescriptum
• praescriptus

Related words

• scrībō
• English prescribe

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press