comâ¢modâ¢iâ¢ty. 1. an article of trade or commerce, esp. a product as distinguished from a service. 2. something of use, advantage, or value. 3. any unprocessed or partially processed good, as a grain, fruit or vegetable, or a precious metal.
Proscribe sounds similar to the word prescribe, but be careful: these words are essentially opposite in meaning. While proscribe means forbid, prescribe is used when a doctor recommends a medicine or remedy. Of course, if you want an excuse for not following your doctorâs orders, you could say you were confused about the meaning of these two words â but that would be lying, which is proscribed by most peopleâs value systems.
These similar sounding words have very different meanings. To prescribe is to recommend and to proscribe is to forbid. One little letter makes a big difference. Prescribe is the more common word, and it's often used at the doctor's office. When a doctor jots down a prescription, she prescribes a drug to heal the patient. To prescribe also means to recommend something in an official way. Leave proscribe to the pros.