receptacles

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
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
   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...
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...