Asha RangappaSarah Jones
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The History of Receipt and Recipe
These days it may seem odd to speak of "grandma's cookie receipt," but in the past, receipt was a synonym of recipe. Early use of receipt refers to medicinal preparations. Recipe didn't arrive until the 1500s, and it too was first used to describe a formula for medicine. In time, both words gained use in cookery, after which recipe slowly became the preferred word. Receipt later acquired its more familiar sense of "a writing acknowledging the receiving of goods or money." Both words, receipt and recipe, ultimately derive from Latin recipere ("to receive").
Examples of receipt in a Sentence
Quartz Bot, Quartz, 18 Nov. 2024
According to the Biden White House, tariffs as a percentage of federal receipts, or money that the government takes in, have decreased from 100% in the late 18th century to near zero a century ago.
—Cyrus Farivar, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 30 May 2024
He was arrested on June 3, 2021, and pleaded guilty last April to receipt of child pornography.
—Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near receipt
Cite this Entry
“Receipt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/receipt. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
receipt
1 of 2 noun
receipt
2 of 2 verbLegal Definition
receipt
noun
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