prescriptive: Meaning and Definition of

pre•scrip•tive

Pronunciation: (pri-skrip'tiv), [key]
— adj.
  1. that prescribes; giving directions or injunctions: a prescriptive letter from an anxious father.
  2. depending on or arising from effective legal prescription, as a right or title established by a long unchallenged tenure.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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