receptakel

Receptakel is a term encountered in some botanical and anatomical glossaries to denote a receptacle-like structure that serves as a central receiving base for other parts. The usage is variable and often dialect- or era-dependent, and in modern English the more common term is receptacle.

Etymology and scope: The word derives from Latin receptaculum "a place to receive" and has been adapted in various Germanic languages with the form receptakel. In botanical contexts, receptakel has occasionally appeared as an alternative spelling or historical variant of receptacle, particularly in older texts that stress the base of a flower or inflorescence as a distinct structural unit.

Botanical sense: In some descriptions, the receptakel refers to the floral axis or thalamus that bears the perianth and reproductive organs. It may be described as a swollen or elongated base from which petals, sepals, stamens, and pistils arise. In other accounts the term is used more loosely to indicate any central platform that receives and supports attached organs.

Modern status and references: Today, receptakel is rarely used in current primary literature; most authors use receptacle or, when appropriate, specific terms such as thalamus or hypanthium. The term occasionally appears in glossaries, translations, or retrospective works on nomenclature. See also receptacle, thalamus (botany), inflorescence.