prescribe

prescribe 1 *dictate, ordain, decree, impose

Analogous words: order, *command, enjoin, bid: exact, *demand, require

2 Prescribe, assign, define mean to fix arbitrarily or authoritatively for the sake of order or of a clear understanding.

Prescribe stresses dictation, especially by one in command, and usually implies that the aim is to give explicit directions or clear guidance to those who accept one's authority or are bound to obey one's injunctions

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the Constitution prescribes the conditions under which it may be amended

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the attending physician prescribes the medicines for his patient

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the fixed routine of prescribed duties— Wilde

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the code of behavior which the culture prescribes for child training— Franz Alexander

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[m2]Assign (see also ALLOT, ASCRIBE) usually has some suggestion of allotment or ascription; it implies arbitrary but not despotic determination for the sake of some practical end such as harmony in operation or functioning, the proper distribution of a number of things, or the settlement of a dispute by agreement

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the city charter assigns the duties of each elected official and the limits of his authority

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the clause, assigning original jurisdiction to the supreme court— John Marshall

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impersonal words, such as those assigning latitude, longitude, and date— Russell

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Define implies an intent to mark boundaries between things so as to prevent confusion, conflict, or overlapping

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the issues here are not too well defined, but deliberation at this point may be fruitful in that respect— Terry Southern

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obscure symbolisms which define the relation of various age groups to each other— Sapir

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the Constitution of the United States prescribes the powers of the government, assigns the limits to each, and defines the functions of each branch

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Analogous words: *set, settle, fix, establish: direct, enjoin, instruct, order, *command