RECEP'TACLE, noun [Latin receptaculum, from receptus, recipio.]

1. A place or vessel into which something is received or in which it is contained, as a vat, a tun, a hollow in the earth, etc. The grave is the common receptacle of the dead.

2. In botany, one of the parts of the fructification; the base by which the other parts of the fructification are connected. A proper receptacle belongs to one fructification only; a common receptacle connects several florets or distinct fructifications. The receptacle of the fructification is common both to the flower and the fruit, or it embraces the corol and germ. The receptacle of the flower, is the base to which the parts of the flower, exclusive of the germ, are fixed. The receptacle of the fruit, is the base of the fruit only. The receptacle of the seeds, is the base to which the seeds are fixed.

3. In anatomy, the receptacle of the chyle is situated on the left side of the upper verteber of the loins, under the aorta and the vessels of the left kidney.