receptacle

A receptacle is a thing that receives something or serves as a place to hold it. The term derives from the Latin receptaculum, from recipere, to receive. In everyday use it denotes a container, outlet, or site that receives items, signals, or specimens.

In botany, the receptacle is the part of a flowering plant’s stem at the base of a flower where the floral organs attach. The receptacle can bear sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels, and in some fruits the fleshy portion we eat is the enlarged receptacle rather than the true fruit. For example, in a strawberry the edible part is largely the enlarged receptacle, while the true fruits are the small achenes on the surface.

In electronics and electrical engineering, a receptacle is the female counterpart that receives a plug or connector. Wall outlets, panel connectors, and data ports are all described as receptacles. Receptacles are standardized to fit plugs of specific voltages and genders, and many are equipped with safety features such as ground-fault circuit interrupters or childproof designs.

Other usages include general containers or openings designed to receive items, such as a waste receptacle or a storage receptacle. In scientific terminology, receptacle can also refer to a cavity or location that receives substances, secretions, or specimens, depending on the field. Overall, the word emphasizes the function of receiving or holding something produced or transmitted by another part or system.