Prescritti

Prescritti is an Italian term that can function as the past participle of the verb prescrivere and as an adjective with two main senses: prescribed medicines and time-barred rights or claims. In medical usage, prescritti describes items or treatments ordered by a licensed healthcare professional. Phrases such as farmaci prescritti or terapie prescritte are common in patient records and on prescriptions, indicating that a clinician has determined the treatment and a pharmacist may dispense the medicines with a valid prescription. The term emphasizes that the medication or care requires authorization and is not over-the-counter.

In law, prescritti refers to rights, claims, or offenses that have become extinguished by prescription, i.e., by the lapse of a legally defined period. The noun prescrizione denotes this time limit itself; when a right is prescritto, it can no longer be pursued in court. The plural prescritti is used for multiple items that have become time-barred, such as reati prescritti (time-barred offenses) or crediti prescritti (statutory expired claims). Prescription periods vary by jurisdiction and by the type of right or offense, and may be affected by suspensions or interruptions provided by law.

Etymology and usage: both senses derive from the verb prescribere, itself from Latin praescribere, meaning to prescribe or to set down beforehand. While medical and legal meanings share the same root, their applications are distinct: one concerns medical authorization, the other the extinguishment of rights or offenses after a statutory period.