receptivo

Forms

receptivo (feminine receptiva, masculine plural receptivos, feminine plural receptivas)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin receptivus (“receptive”), formed on receptus (“received”), the past participle of recipiō (“to receive”), with the suffix -īvus.^[2][1] Earlier editions of the Academy's dictionary, and Moliner, took it from the supine of the Latin verb.^[3][4][5] Corominas lists it, without a date, among the learned words of the family of recibir, the inherited form of the same verb.^[6]

The Latin verb is formed from re- and capiō (“to take, seize”), with the reduction of unstressed /a/ to /i/ in Old Latin.^[7][1] The same participle gave recepción, receptor, receptáculo and receta.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

No early record is given in the sources; the word first appears in the Academy's dictionary of 1817, defined as what receives or can receive.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The Academy kept the definition “that receives or is able to receive” through the 19th century, and the DLE still gives only this sense.^[9][3][2] Moliner and VOX describe the modern use: a person or public open to teaching, ideas or influence, and something capable of receiving external stimuli or an infection.^[5][10] The first records from the Americas are from the 20th century, among them turismo receptivo “inbound tourism” in Colombia in 1987.^[11]

Timeline

• 1817 – first entered in the Academy's dictionary.^[8]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology from the supine receptum.^[3]
• 1922 – the first record from the Americas, in Chile.^[11]
• 1987 – turismo receptivo is recorded in Cali.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. That receives (recibir) or is able to receive; receptive.^[2][1]
2. Of a person or audience: open to ideas, teaching or influence: un alumno muy receptivo a las críticas.^[5][10]
3. Relating to reception: la capacidad receptiva del oído.^[10]

Related words

• recibir
• recepción
• receptor
• receta
• Latin recipio

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. receptivo
3. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 904
4. ^ Real Academia Española (2001), Diccionario de la lengua española, 22nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, p. s.v. receptivo
5. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. receptivo
6. ^ a b Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. recibir
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 734
9. ^ Real Academia Española (1843), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 9th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Francisco María Fernández, p. 615
10. ^ a b c Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. receptivo
11. ^ a b c Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. receptivo