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receptacle

A receptacle is a container that's used for holding or storing things. If you are having a party on a rainy day, you can put a receptacle outside your door for your guests' umbrellas.

The noun receptacle means any kind of container. For example, a trash receptacle holds your garbage and a receptacle for loose change can keep you from scattering coins all over your house. In botany, receptacle refers to the part of a stem that holds a plant's organs. The word receptacle comes from the Latin root word receptaculum, which describes a place to receive and store things.

DEFINITIONS OF: receptacle

n a container that is used to put or keep things in

Types:: show 34 types...; hide 34 types...; ash-pan
a receptacle fitted beneath the grate in which ashes collect and are removed; ashtray
a receptacle for the ash from smokers' cigars or cigarettes; beehive, hive
a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees; case, compositor's case, typesetter's case
(printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers; cat box
a receptacle for cat excrement; catchall
an enclosure or receptacle for odds and ends; chamberpot, potty, thunder mug
a receptacle for urination or defecation in the bedroom; coin box
the part of a slot machine that serves as a receptacle for the coins; dustpan
a short-handled receptacle into which dust can be swept; garbage
a receptacle where waste can be discarded; hopper
funnel-shaped receptacle; contents pass by gravity into a receptacle below; hot-water bag, hot-water bottle
a stoppered receptacle (usually made of rubber) that is to be filled with hot water and used for warming a bed or parts of the body; in-basket, in-tray
a wood or metal receptacle placed on your desk to hold your incoming material; ossuary
any receptacle for the burial of human bones; out-basket, out-tray
a wood or metal receptacle placed on your desk to hold your outgoing material; collection plate, plate
a shallow receptacle for collection in church; pix, pyx
any receptacle in which wafers for the Eucharist are kept; save-all
a receptacle for catching waste products for further use; silent butler
a small receptacle with a handle and a hinged lid; used for collecting crumbs or ashes; socket
receptacle where something (a pipe or probe or end of a bone) is inserted; cuspidor, spittoon
a receptacle for spit (usually in a public place); tidy
receptacle that holds odds and ends (as sewing materials); tray
an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food; trough
a long narrow shallow receptacle; alms dish, alms tray
a tray for collecting the offering from a congregation; cafeteria tray
a tray for carrying your food in a cafeteria; cheese tray, cheeseboard
tray on which cheeses are served; icetray
a tray for making cubes of ice in a refrigerator; inkstand
a tray or stand for writing implements and containers for ink; cradle, rocker
a trough that can be rocked back and forth; used by gold miners to shake auriferous earth in water in order to separate the gold; salver
a tray (or large plate) for serving food or drinks; usually made of silver; skep
a domed beehive made of twisted straw; tea tray
a tray that accommodates a tea service; lazy Susan, turntable
a revolving tray placed on a dining table

Type of:: container
any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)

n enlarged tip of a stem that bears the floral parts

Types:: gynobase
the enlarged receptacle in which the pistil is borne

Type of:: plant part, plant structure
any part of a plant or fungus

n an electrical (or electronic) fitting that is connected to a source of power and equipped to receive an insert

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; outlet box
(electricity) receptacle consisting of the metal box designed for connections to a wiring system; expansion slot, slot
(computer) a socket in a microcomputer that will accept a plug-in circuit board; socket
a receptacle into which an electric device can be inserted; electric outlet, electric receptacle, electrical outlet, outlet, wall plug, wall socket
receptacle providing a place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices; electric socket
a socket into which a lightbulb can be inserted; point, power point
a wall socket

Type of:: fitting
a small and often standardized accessory to a larger system

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