What does recipe mean?
A recipe is a set of instructions for making a food or drink, usually listing the ingredients and explaining how to prepare them. In everyday speech, the word has developed a broader figurative meaning: a recipe can be any carefully planned method for achieving a result, as in “a recipe for success” or “a recipe for disaster.” Recipes may range from brief notes to precise formulas, and a good one communicates not only what is needed but also proportions, timing, technique, and often the order in which steps should be completed. The term is especially associated with cooking, but it is also common in discussions of crafts, processes, and business strategy. Its figurative use is often mildly evaluative: calling something a recipe for success implies that dependable ingredients and a sound method are involved, while a recipe for disaster suggests a predictable combination of mistakes. The word is natural and familiar in both British and American English, although the standard pronunciation differs between the two varieties.
A set of instructions for preparing a dish, drink, or other preparation, including its ingredients and method.
"This simple recipe requires only four ingredients and less than half an hour."
The word is standard in British and American English. The expression “a recipe for” is also widely used figuratively for a plan or combination of factors that produces a specified result.
To make or prepare something according to a recipe.
"The chef reciped the dish from an old family manuscript."
This verb is uncommon and somewhat informal, with the participial form “reciped” used especially in specialized culinary contexts.
The usual plural is “recipes,” used for written cooking instructions and for figurative formulas or plans.
"The cookbook contains recipes for quick weeknight meals and elaborate weekend dishes."
The word once meant “things taken”: medieval apothecaries used it to label medicines and compound remedies before it became a synonym for cooking instructions.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of recipe
The word comes through French from Latin recepta, a feminine form meaning “things taken” or “that which has been taken.” It developed from the Latin verb recipere, meaning “to take, receive, or accept,” and appears in medieval apothecary language as part of instructions for preparing medicines. Over time, the sense narrowed to a formula or set of instructions, first for remedies and later especially for cooking. The same Latin root also underlies cognates such as receipt, reception, receptive, and receptacle.
How recipe is actually used
The phrase “a recipe for” is widely used figuratively, especially in expressions such as “a recipe for success,” “a recipe for disaster,” and “a recipe for trouble.” The verb is relatively uncommon and is informal in contemporary use.
Easily confused with recipe
A recipe tells you how to prepare something, whereas a receipt confirms that a purchase or payment has been made.