Receptacle
/rɪˈsɛp.tə.kəl/noun
A container or place designed to receive or hold something.
Did you know?Receptacle ultimately shares the Latin root capere, “to take” or “seize,” with seemingly unrelated words such as recipe, deceive, and perceive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“To grasp, seize, or take”
Classical Latin
Latin
capere
“To take, seize, or receive”
Classical Latin
Latin
receptaculum
“A container, repository, or place for receiving something”
Medieval Latin
Latin
receptaculum
“A place or vessel in which something is kept”
14th Century
Old French
receptacle
“A container or place for holding something”
15th Century
English
receptacle
“A container or place that receives or holds something”
Explore more surprising origins