Caduceus
Symbol of a staff entwined by two serpents, used in medicine and commerce.
Greek/Roman/International · c. 600 BCE – present
Rx Symbol
Medical prescription symbol derived from the Latin 'recipe' (take).
Description
The Rx symbol (℞) is used in medical prescriptions and pharmacy. It is derived from the Latin word 'recipe' meaning 'take' (imperative of 'recipere'). The symbol is an abbreviation of this word, with the tail of the R crossed to form an X-like shape. It appears at the beginning of medical prescriptions and on pharmacy signs. The symbol has been used in medical contexts since at least the medieval period and is standardized in Unicode as U+211E (PRESCRIPTION TAKE).
Origin & Cultural Context
The Rx symbol derives from the Latin 'recipe' and has been used in medical prescriptions since the medieval period.