receptacle

[ ri-sep-tuh-kuhl ]
See synonyms for receptacle on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. 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 of receptacle

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use receptacle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for receptacle

receptacle

/ (rɪˈsɛptəkəl) /


noun
  1. an object that holds something; container

  2. botany

    • the enlarged or modified tip of the flower stalk that bears the parts of the flower

    • the shortened flattened stem bearing the florets of the capitulum of composite flowers such as the daisy

    • the part of lower plants that bears the reproductive organs or spores

Origin of receptacle

1
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-sĕptə-kəl ]


  1. 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.