Dictionary
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.