ENGLISH
REFERENCE

recipe

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈɹɛsəpi// UK //ɹˈɛsɪpˌiː// recipe Archaic General-service

n. a set of instructions that tells you how to cook a specific dish and which ingredients you need. It can also mean a sure way to get a specific result.

n. a set of instructions for preparing a particular dish, including a list of the ingredients required. Figuratively, it refers to a formula or method likely to lead to a specific outcome.


SIMPLE

I am following a new recipe for chocolate cake.

CONTEXTUAL

She asked her grandmother for the secret family recipe to make sure the soup tasted authentic.

COMPLEX

Economists warned that cutting social programs while simultaneously increasing taxes on the middle class was a recipe for a deep and lasting recession.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French récipé, from Latin recipe, second person singular imperative of Latin recipiō (“receive”). Doublet of recept and receipt.

Usage

Commonly takes the preposition 'for' when describing the intended result.

Pitfall

a recipe of successa recipe for successWhen used figuratively to mean a method for achieving something, the noun takes 'for' rather than 'of'.

Idioms1 entry

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