Prescription vs Prescriptive - What's the difference?

prescription | prescriptive | Related terms |

Prescriptive is a related term of prescription.

As adjectives the difference between prescription and prescriptive

is that prescription is (of a drug, etc.) only available with a physician or nurse practitioner's written prescription while prescriptive is of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard.

As a noun prescription

is the act of prescribing a rule, law, etc..

prescription

English

(wikipedia prescription)

Alternative forms

* (archaic)

Noun

(en noun)

(legal) The act of prescribing a rule, law, etc. .

"Jurisdiction to prescribe " is a state's authority to make its laws applicable to certain persons or activities. -- Richard G. Alexander, Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996: Congress exceeds its jurisdiction to prescribe law. Washington and Lee Law Review, 1997.

(legal) A period of time within which a right must be exercised, unless the right is extinguished.

The prescription governing the victim’s right to enter a charge shall be interrupted by virtue of section 95 of the Criminal Code.

(medicine) A written order, as by a physician or nurse practitioner, for the administration of a medicine or other intervention. See also scrip.

The surgeon wrote a prescription for a pain killer and physical therapy.

(medicine) The prescription medicine or intervention so prescribed.

The pharmacist gave her a bottle containing her prescription .

(ophthalmology) The formal description of the lens geometry needed for spectacles, etc. .

The optician followed the optometrist's prescription for her new eyeglasses.

A piece of advice.

"Early to bed and early to rise" is a prescription for a healthy lifestyle.

Adjective

(head)

(of a drug, etc. ) only available with a physician or nurse practitioner's written prescription

Many powerful pain killers are prescription drugs in the U.S.

Noun

(f)

prescriptive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of or pertaining to prescribing or enjoining, especially an action or behavior based on a norm or standard.

For one thing, spoken language tends to be less subjected to prescriptive
pressures than written language, and hence is a less artificial medium of com-
munication (written language is often a kind of 'censored' version of spoken
language). [...]

Synonyms

* normative

Antonyms

* descriptive (especially of grammar and usage) * proscriptive

Derived terms

* prescriptiveness