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"prescription" in seven languages

Meaningprescription

Spanish

receta

/reˈθeta/

fem.inherited

Also a cooking recipe.

French

ordonnance

/ɔʁdɔnɑ̃s/

fem.other source · French ordonner 'to order' (Latin ORDINĀRE)

Italian

ricetta

/riˈtʃɛtta/

fem.inherited

Also a cooking recipe.

Portuguese

receita

/heˈsejtɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

rețetă

/reˈtsetə/

fem.borrowed · Italian ricetta (with German Rezept)

Catalan

recepta

/rəˈsɛptə/

fem.learned

English

prescription

/pɹɪˈskɹɪpʃən/

other source · Latin praescrīptiōnem

The pharmacist's Rx abbreviates Latin recipe 'take!', the shared word.

English → ItalianprescriptionricettaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: recipe, receipt.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

RECEPTAM‘(a thing) received’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Prescriptions opened with Latin RECIPE 'take!'; RECEPTA gave Spanish receta and Italian ricetta (PT → tt), both also a cooking recipe. French prescriptions are 'orders' (ordonnance).

English relatives: recipe, receipt

Sound laws at work

Italian assimilates clusters

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In a sentence

  • esPara este medicamento necesitas receta.
  • frIl faut une ordonnance pour ce médicament.
  • itPer questo farmaco serve la ricetta.
  • ptVocê precisa de receita para este remédio.
  • roPentru acest medicament ai nevoie de rețetă.
  • caPer a aquest medicament necessites recepta.
  • enYou need a prescription for this medicine.

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