Why Do We Use 'Rx' for Medicine?

 

And now, the VOA Learning¹ English program Words and Their Stories.

Each week, we tell about terms and expressions we use in American English. Sometimes we give you the origin, or starting point. But oftentimes language experts do not know exactly how a word or expression came to be. So, there can be many “origin” stories.

Today we run into just that problem. But it is not about a word or expression, but rather a symbol – Rx.

A symbol is a sign that represents² one or more words. The “Rx” sign is formed by placing a line across the right foot of the letter “R.” It represents the word “prescription³” and has come to mean “take this medicine.”

In the States, we often see this sign on drug stores and doctor’s offices. It also appears on bottles of pills and other medicines.

But how did Rx come to mean prescription medicine?

One common explanation is that “Rx” has Latin⁴ roots. Some word historians⁵ suggest that “Rx” gets its meaning from the Latin word “recipere,” meaning “to take.”

They add that by the late 1500s, the spelling of the word and its meaning had changed. It became “recipe,” meaning a “medical prescription.” This meaning remained in use until the middle of the 1700s. At that time, people also began to use the word “recipe” in food preparation, as we do today.

Yet, the symbol “Rx” and the meaning “take this medicine” stayed unchanged.

Okay, so that origin story is not so interesting. Instead, let’s hear another story that also claims to explain the history of Rx.

Some experts say the sign began 5,000 years ago in Egypt. At that time, people prayed to Horus, the god of the Sun. Legend⁶ says that when Horus was a child, Seth, the demon⁷ of evil⁸, attacked him.

When Seth put out the eye of the young Horus, the mother of Horus called for help. Thoth, the god of learning and magic, answered her cries. With his wisdom⁹ and special powers, Thoth healed¹⁰ the eye of Horus and the child was able to see again.

The ancient Egyptians used a picture of the eye of Horus as a magic sign to protect themselves from disease¹¹, suffering and evil.

Long after the collapse¹² of ancient Egypt, doctors and scientists in Europe continued to use the sign. But over the years, it changed from the eye of Horus to the sign for Jupiter¹³, the chief god of the Romans. Jupiter’s sign looked much like the printed number “four.”

Over time, that sign also changed. It became the easily-recognized letter “R” with a line across its foot. The sign no longer means¹⁴ help for the sick from an ancient god, but rather “medicine to take.”

So, that is what the symbol means even though we cannot guarantee how it came to be. To make it up to you, we give you a useful, medicine-related expression.

Now, when a doctor prescribes¹⁵ a patient medicine, it is only for that patient, no one else. Giving someone a taste of their own medicine sounds like the right thing to do. A person is supposed to take the medicine as doctor has prescribed¹⁶ for them.

But that is not what this expression means.

When you give someone a taste of their own medicine, you treat them as they have treated you. And we almost always use this expression when talking about bad treatment.

Let’s hear how it can be used.

A: Great party, Chuck!

B: Thanks! Hey, can you keep an eye on things here? I need to go and get Natalie.

A: I thought Michael was giving her a ride.

B: That’s what he said. But he hasn’t shown up. She’s been waiting at her place for an hour.

A: Michael has been doing that a lot lately. He promises to do something and then doesn’t follow up. Last week, we were supposed to go to the movies, but he stood me up. And he didn’t even call to let me know he couldn’t make it.

B: He was a no-show for me just last week too.

A: You know, one day, we should give him a taste of his own medicine. We should agree to do something -- something really important to him -- and then never show up.

B: Having a taste of his medicine might help. But you know we’ll never do that.

A: I know. Look, you stay here and take care of the party. I’ll go and get Natalie.

A: That would be a big help. Thanks! Be careful on the road.

B: Always. See you in about 30 minutes!

And that’s Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. I’m Anna Matteo.

Do you use medicine in a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the Comments Section. Or simply tell us about a time when you had to give someone a taste of their own medicine.

Doctor Doctor, gimme the news

I got a bad case of lovin' you

No pill's gonna cure my ill

I got a bad case of lovin' you...

Words in This Story

guess – n. an attempt to give an opinion or answer about something when you do not know much about it or are not sure about it

symbol – n. a letter, group of letters, character, or picture that is used instead of a word or group of words

prescription – n. a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine, therapy¹⁷, etc.

legend – n. a story coming down from the past

demon – n. an evil spirit

make it up to (someone) – phrase : to do something helpful or good for (someone one has hurt or treated wrongly)

keep an eye on – phrase : watch someone or something carefully; to be attentive to someone or something

stand (someone) up – phrase : fail to meet someone for a date, meeting, or appointment, especially without telling them

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

4 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

5 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

6 legend   

n.传说；传奇故事

参考例句：

• This is a popular legend.这是一个民间传说。
• According to ancient legend,the river is a goddess.据古代传说，这条河是位女神。

7 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

8 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

9 wisdom   

n.智慧，明智的行为，学识，名言，贤人

参考例句：

• Experience is the mother of wisdom.经验为智慧之母。
• Ancient Greece was a fountain of wisdom and philosophy.古希腊是智慧和哲学的发源地。

10 healed   

v.（使）愈合( heal的过去式和过去分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• The surgeon healed the soldier's bullet wound in the leg. 医生治好了那位士兵腿部的枪伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doctor applied an unguent to the wound,which speedily healed it. 医生给伤口涂了些油膏，伤口很快就愈合了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

12 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

13 Jupiter   

n.木星

参考例句：

• Jupiter is unlike the Earth in almost every way.木星与地球几乎完全不同。
• The astronomers were taking an observation of Jupiter.天文学家们正在观测木星。

14 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

15 prescribes   

开药方( prescribe的第三人称单数 )； 指示； 规定； 指定遵守

参考例句：

• The law prescribes how to punish this crime. 法律对如何处罚这种犯罪做出规定。
• Section 301(b)(2) prescribes BAT effluent limitations for "nonconventional" and toxic pollutants. 第201条（b）（2）中，针对“非常规”和有毒污染物规定了“最佳现有技术”污水限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

16 prescribed   

adj.规定的

参考例句：

• Valium is usually prescribed to treat anxiety. 安定剂通常用于治疗焦躁。
• The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. 自儿童时起即已开始有严格的课程设置。

17 therapy   

n.治疗；疗法

参考例句：

• The doctor said she should be given a physical therapy.医生说她应该进行理疗。
• She will need to have the therapy repeated every few months.她将需要每隔几个月就进行一次治疗。