prescribed

Prescribed is an adjective and the past participle of prescribe. It derives from Latin praescribere, meaning “to write beforehand.” The term is used in several related senses, often depending on context.

In legal and regulatory language, prescribed describes rules, procedures, or limits that are mandated by law, policy, or official guidance. For example, a government agency may set the prescribed steps for compliance or the prescribed time within which an action must be taken. In this sense, things that fail to follow the prescribed method may be noncompliant.

In medicine, prescribed refers to a medication or treatment that a qualified professional has ordered for a patient. The resulting document is a prescription, and pharmacies are typically required to dispense only upon presentation of such a prescription. The adjective can describe drugs, dosages, or regimens, as in “prescribed antibiotics.”

Other uses include land management, where a prescribed burn is a planned, controlled fire used to meet ecological or safety objectives, and forms or procedures described as prescribed by an authority.

Related terms include prescribe (the verb), prescription (the order or document), and prescriber (the professional issuing the prescription). Prescribed is versatile and gains meaning from the regulatory or professional context in which it is used.