receptacle

Noun

receptacle (plural receptacles)

1. A container.
   • “Divine receptacle of excellence, let it not be deemed impertinent, or deviating from the rules of propriety, if I propound one queſtion which now labours in my breaſt; aſſuring me firſt, you will not let the ſceptre of true judgment depart from your right hand.”1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 11
   • Darkness had no effect upon my fancy; and a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength, had become food for the worm.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter III, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for...
2. The part of the flower stalk (peduncle or pedicel) to which the floral parts are attached; a thalamus, a torus.
   • The form of the flower is highly dependent on the structure of the receptacle, even though this may not always be obvious externally. The receptacle is also called the floral axis, or it is sometimes called the torus, which may be translated as "swelling". These expressions per se imply that...1992, F[ocko] Weberling, “Morphology of Flowers”, in R. J. Pankhurst, transl., Morphology of Flowers and Inflorescences, 1st paperback edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 19
   • A basic flower […] has four series of parts arranged in concentric whorls (or rings) on the receptacle, which is the name given to the expanded end of the pedicel (flower stalk).2003, Ian Clarke, Helen Lee, “The Structure of Flowers”, in Name that Flower: The Identification of Flowering Plants, 2nd edition, Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, Melbourne University...
   1. A condensed rachis of a capitate or umbellate inflorescence at the end of the peduncle, to which all of the florets or pedicels are attached.
      • All flowers in a head share a common receptacle. The receptacle may be flat or convex. It may bear tiny scales called paleae. The paleae of a receptacle are referred to as chaff. Receptacles without paleae are said to be epaleate or naked. When the paleae are shed, they may leave either a smooth or...2015, Robert H. Mohlenbrock, “Descriptions and Illustrations”, in Flowering Plants: Asteraceae, Part I (The Illustrated Flora of Illinois), Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press...
3. A structure at the end of a branch of an alga containing conceptacles (reproductive organs).
   • Plants all marine, of an olive-brown or olive-green colour, becoming black on exposure to air; […] Frutification, tubercles contained in distinct receptacles, or embedded in the frond, and containing dark-coloured seeds surrounded with a pellucid limbus, which escape by a terminal pore.1830, Robert Kaye Greville, “Order I.—FUCOIDEÆ.”, in Algæ Britannicæ, or Descriptions of the Marine and Other Inarticulated Plants of the British Islands, Belonging to the Order Algæ; with Plates...
   • In addition to gas bladders, the thallus of reproductive rockweed, Fucus, has inflated tips called receptacles. The small bumps on the surface of each receptacle are conceptacles, chambers within which the gametangia grow.2013, George Karleskint, Jr.; Richard Turner; James W. Small, Jr., “Multicellular Primary Producers”, in Introduction to Marine Biology, 4th edition, Belmont, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning...
4. An organ that receives and holds a secretion.
5. (US) A contact device installed at an outlet for the connection of an attachment plug (typically by receiving the plug's prongs) to supply portable appliances or equipment.
   • A contact device installed at an outlet for the connection of an attachment plug is a receptacle[…]. A multiple receptacle is a single device consisting of two or more receptacles[…].2002, Charles R. Miller, “Section 1: Foundational Provisions”, in Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code: Based on the 2002 National Electrical Code, 2nd edition, Albany, N.Y.: Delmar...
   • Whether you call them outlets, plug-ins, or receptacles, these important devices represent the point where the rubber meets the road in your home wiring system. From the basic 15-amp, 120-volt duplex receptacle to the burly 50-amp, 240-volt appliance receptacle, the many outlets in your home do...2008, “Receptacles”, in The Complete Guide to Wiring (Complete Guide series), 4th rev. edition, Minneapolis, Minn.: Creative Publishing International, →ISBN, page 103