receptacle
1
7.2
- noun
- /rɪˈsɛptəkl/
- Specialized
:
receptáculo
- While I don't think much of the blank-faced angels dotted around the cemetery, they bother me less than the urns, which seem a peculiar thing to put on a grave when one thinks that they were used by the Romans as receptacles for human ashes.
Examples
-
The sunflower's receptacle supports the vibrant petals and attracts numerous pollinators.
-
One pair was actually coupling together, like two stacked donuts, each extending its germ cell donors into the receptacles of the other.
Fiction book (1998) -
(The idea of a 'garden' fitted with the romantic notion that the child was like a plant that needed nurturing rather than a receptacle that needed filling.) 3
Blog text (1) -
At first glance, for example, the lily appears to be a female receptacle, its stamen a clitoris, and the serpentine stem a phallus.
Academic text (1995) -
In botany, the receptacle is crucial for holding the flower's essential reproductive parts.
-
After examining the plant closely, she noted that the receptacle was unusually enlarged, indicating a healthy bloom.
Compounds
- Offensive
1
9.9
A person or container that receives another person's semen during sex
Surface Forms
Etymology
Receptacle comes from Latin recipere 'to receive', and in flowers it is the part of the stem that 'receives' and holds the petals, stamens, and other parts. Think of it as the small platform on the stem that carries the flower pieces. So, in botany a receptacle is the part that supports and connects the floral organs.