receptury

Receptury is a historical term used to denote a collection or compendium of recipes, typically for medicines or remedies, and more broadly for instructions used to prepare substances or dishes. In this sense, it functions as a manual or handbook that records practical know-how for compounding ingredients, dosages, and methods of preparation.

Etymology and related forms trace the word to Latin and Romance-era traditions of recepta or receptarium, terms used for organized collections of recipes or receipts. In English, receptury is closely related to receptarium and receptary, both appearing in manuscripts and early printed books as titles or descriptors for compendia of formulations.

Historical usage concentrated in medical and domestic spheres. Apothecaries, physicians, and household practitioners maintained receptaries that listed medicinal formulations, sometimes with ingredient names, proportions, and preparation steps. These works often prefigured later pharmacopoeias and formularies, serving as practical reference sources rather than theoretical treatises. In culinary contexts, receptaries appeared as recipe collections or compendia detailing how to prepare dishes or preserve foods.

In modern language, receptury is uncommon and largely of academic interest. When used, it typically appears in discussions of historical manuscripts, manuscript culture, or the history of medicine and cookery. Contemporary equivalents include formulary, pharmacopoeia, or cookbook, depending on context. See also recipe, pharmacopoeia, formulary, apothecary, manuscript, and herbal.