The doctor prescribed antibiotics for her serious throat infection.
synonyms
orderadviserecommend
word origin — late Middle English (in the sense ‘confine within bounds’, also as a legal term meaning ‘claim by prescription’): from Latin praescribere ‘direct in writing’, from prae ‘before’ + scribere ‘write’
prescribe, treat, diagnose, contract, recover: meanings and examples
Learn these 5 words from Upper-Intermediate set 12. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.
prescribe · verb/priˈskraɪb/
to recommend a treatment or medication
The doctor prescribed antibiotics for her serious throat infection.
Synonyms: order, advise, recommend
Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘confine within bounds’, also as a legal term meaning ‘claim by prescription’): from Latin praescribere ‘direct in writing’, from prae ‘before’ + scribere ‘write’
treat · verb/trit/
to give medical care for an illness or injury
It is not known how to treat this disease successfully, so patients are given some experimental drugs so that they can feel slightly better.
Synonyms: cure, heal, remedy, attend to, care for
Origin: Middle English (in the senses ‘negotiate’ and ‘discuss a subject’): from Old French traitier, from Latin tractare ‘handle’, frequentative of trahere ‘draw, pull’. The current noun sense dates from the mid 17th century
diagnose · verb/ˌdaɪəɡˈnoʊz/
to figure out what the medical problem is
After several doctor visits, the last doctor she went to was able to diagnose her illness and help her get better.
Synonyms: identify, discover, determine
Origin: mid 19th century: back-formation from diagnosis
contract · verb/ˈkɑnˌtræk(t)/
to catch a disease
During her travels in a remote area, she contracted a virus and showed symptoms of vomiting and high fever.
Synonyms: pick up, come down with, develop, acquire
Origin: Middle English: via Old French from Latin contractus, from contract- ‘drawn together, tightened’, from the verb contrahere, from con- ‘together’ + trahere ‘draw’
recover · verb/rəˈkəvər/
to become healthy or feel normal again after an illness or injury
Some of the best ways to recover from the flu is bed rest and staying hydrated.
Synonyms: get better, get well, return to health, heal
Origin: Middle English (originally with reference to health): from Anglo-Norman French recoverer, from Latin recuperare ‘get again’