What does receptacle mean?
A receptacle is an object, place, or structure designed to receive, hold, or contain something. The word is often more formal than the everyday word “container,” and it can suggest a purpose-built or specialized receiving structure: a waste receptacle, an electrical receptacle, or a receptacle for records. In botany, the term refers to the part of a plant on which flowers are borne, often the enlarged tip of a flower stalk. In anatomy, it describes a structure that receives or supports another organ. Across these senses, the central idea is receiving or holding: a receptacle is not merely an object, but the place or structure into which something is placed. The word is useful in technical and descriptive writing when greater precision than “container” is needed.
nounAn object or structure that receives, holds, or contains something. In a specialized botanical sense, it is the part of a plant on which flowers or other reproductive structures are borne.
- An object or place that receives or contains something.
- The part of a plant on which flowers are borne, especially the broadened tip of a stalk.
- A structure in anatomy that receives or supports another organ or part.
"The empty glass was a convenient receptacle for the discarded notes."
"Please dispose of all litter in the designated waste receptacle."
"Each flower is attached to a small receptacle at the end of its stalk."
The plural is used when referring to multiple receiving objects or structures.
"The laboratory placed several glass receptacles on the bench."
From the Latin for “something to receive,” a receptacle can be as ordinary as a cup or as specialized as the enlarged tip of a flower stalk.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does receptacle come from?
Receptacle comes through French from the Latin receptaculum, a noun formed from recipere, “to take back” or “to receive.” The same Latin root underlies related English words such as reception, receptive, receipt, and susceptible. The word entered English in the late medieval period, initially in the general sense of a place or vessel for receiving something, before acquiring specialized botanical and anatomical uses.
Related word forms
How receptacle is actually used
In general use, “receptacle” is formal and somewhat more technical than “container.” In botany and anatomy, it is the standard term for a specialized receiving or supporting structure.