What does subcription mean?

To subscribe to something is to request an item, such as a magazine, whether for free or at a cost.

A subscription typically means the actual product you receive.

Example:

A friend told me that Teen Life magazine was fantastic. I asked her, "Where can I find it?" She told me I could subscribe to it and gave me the company's phone number. When I called, the representative told me a subscription to Teen Life magazine costs $21.00 for 12 issues. I paid for the year's subscription. Then, the representative told me that, since I was now a subscriber, I was entitled to a free gift. I got a great pair of sunglasses!

Free subscription:

Many internet websites offer a "free subscription" to a Newsletter, which is "delivered" (sent) through E-mail.

An historical example:

When the US was being settled, when people moved into a new area, they typically built a cabin/house, a church, then a school, in that order. As people started dying, they needed "burial grounds"; often the family buried the person on their private land as the "home burial grounds". But, as churches were established, church-goers also felt it was important to set aside land for a "church cemetery". To raise money to buy land, the church offered "subscription" -- for an amount of money, such as $10.00 (a lot of money in early 1800s), a person paid for (subscribed to) one cemetery plot that the person would then "own" within the cemetery. If the family wanted everyone buried beside each other, they needed more grave sites, so their "subscription" went up in price.

Second Definition for "subscribe" and "subscribe":

To subscribe can also mean showing an agreement with an idea, theory, proposal, etc.

Examples:

Tom subscribed to the idea that every person should pursue a college education.

Asked if she subscribes to President Obama's health care plan, the Senator simply answered, "I do not and will never subscribe to that plan."

Do not confuse prescribe and prescription with subscribe and subscription.

A prescription is a written order from a physician that authorizes a pharmacist to dispense (make available) a drug . medication that is NOT an over the counter (OTC) preparation. OTC medications do not require a prescription or a doctor to prescribe it, although a doctor can tell or suggest (prescribe) to a patient to use an over the counter drug to treat an ailment. For example: Dr. John told me to buy Zyrtec to treat my allergy symptoms. Since Zyrtec does not legally require a written prescription, I could just buy this over the counter medication.