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receptacle definition

re·cep·ta·cle (ri sep′tə kəl)

noun

  1. anything used to contain or hold something else; container; vessel
  2. an electrical wall outlet designed for use with a plug

  3. Etymology: ModL receptaculum

    Bot.
    1. the enlarged upper end of the stalk of a flowering plant, on which the flower parts grow
    2. any of a number of cuplike or disklike structures supporting spores, sex organs, etc.

Etymology: ME < L receptaculum < receptare, freq. of recipere: see receive

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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