re·cep·ta·cle

[ri-sep-tuh-kuhl]
noun
1.
a container, device, etc., that receives or holds something: a receptacle for trash.
2.
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.
3.
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.
Origin:
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Receptacle is always a great word to know.
So is nonvascular plants. Does it mean:
plants without a xylem and phloem to transport fluid and nutrients internally
group of mostly aquatic eukaryotic organisms which conduct photosynthesis and make their own food
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Collins
World English Dictionary
receptacle (rɪˈsɛptəkəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  an object that holds something; container
2.  botany
 a.  the enlarged or modified tip of the flower stalk that bears the parts of the flower
 b.  the shortened flattened stem bearing the florets of the capitulum of composite flowers such as the daisy
 c.  the part of lower plants that bears the reproductive organs or spores
 
[C15: from Latin receptāculum a store-place, from receptāre to receive again, from recipere to receive]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

receptacle
1412, from O.Fr. receptacle (14c.), from L. receptaculum "place to receive and store things," from receptare, frequentative of recipere "to hold, contain" (see receive).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
receptacle   (rĭ-sěp'tə-kəl)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Fashion the receptacle with a bottom that attaches onto the garbage disposal of
  a sink.
Adequate cushioning material to withstand shock and pressure changes must
  surround the primary receptacle.
It awakens and enlarges the mind itself by rendering it the receptacle of a
  thousand unapprehended combinations of thought.
Strong outer packaging that is capable of firmly and securely holding the
  primary receptacle and cushioning material is required.
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