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receptacle

[ ri-sep-tuh-kuhl ]
/ rɪˈsɛp tə kəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR receptacle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a container, device, etc., that receives or holds something: a receptacle for trash.
Botany. the modified or expanded portion of the stem or axis that bears the organs of a single flower or the florets of a flower head.
Electricity. a contact device installed at an outlet for the connection of a portable lamp, appliance, or other electric device by means of a plug and flexible cord.

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Origin of receptacle

1375–1425; Middle English (<Old French ) <Latin receptāculum reservoir, equivalent to receptā(re) to take again, receive back (frequentative of recipere to receive) + -culum-cle2

Words nearby receptacle

receiving set, recency effect, recension, recent, recept, receptacle, receptible, reception, reception centre, reception desk, receptionism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to receptacle

box, repository, bowl, vessel, holder, hopper, wastebasket

Example sentences from the Web for receptacle

British Dictionary definitions for receptacle

receptacle
/ (rɪˈsɛptəkəl) /

noun

an object that holds something; container
botany
  1. the enlarged or modified tip of the flower stalk that bears the parts of the flower
  2. the shortened flattened stem bearing the florets of the capitulum of composite flowers such as the daisy
  3. the part of lower plants that bears the reproductive organs or spores

Word Origin for receptacle

C15: from Latin receptāculum a store-place, from receptāre to receive again, from recipere to receive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for receptacle

receptacle
[ rĭ-sĕp′tə-kəl ]

The enlarged upper end of a flower stalk that bears the flower or group of flowers. The fleshy edible part of an apple is actually a modified receptacle. See more at flower.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.