receptacle

 
Pronunciation: /rɪˈsɛptək(ə)l/

noun

  • 1a hollow object used to contain something: fast-food receptacles
  • 2North American an electrical socket.
  • 3chiefly Zoology an organ or structure which receives a secretion, eggs, sperm, etc..
  • 4 Botany an enlarged area at the apex of a stem on which the parts of a flower or the florets of a flower head are inserted.
  • a structure supporting the sexual organs in some algae, mosses, and liverworts.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin receptaculum, from receptare 'receive back', frequentative of recipere (see receive)