receptacle
n.n. a container or holder, especially one that is used to hold something specific like a seed or a piece of fruit.
n. a container or vessel, particularly one used to hold or receive something. In a biological context, it refers to a structure that holds or receives a specific biological entity, such as a seed or a fruit.
The plant has a small receptacle that holds the seeds.
The biologist examined the receptacle of the flower to see how the seeds were arranged.
In many flowering plants, the receptacle swells to form a fleshy structure that serves as a protective receptacle for the developing seeds until they are ready for dispersal.
From Middle English receptacle, from Anglo-Norman receptacle and Middle French receptacle (“organ containing a fluid; gathering place; water basin”) (modern French réceptacle), from Latin receptāculum (“animal enclosure, container, place of refuge, receptacle, repository, reservoir, shelter”), from receptāre (“to harbour, to receive, to shelter”) or receptō (“I receive back or again, I recover”), frequentative of recipiō (“I receive; I hold back, I reserve”) (from re- (“back, again”) + capiō (“I hold”)) + -culum (suffix forming nouns from verbs, particularly nouns representing tools and instruments); cognate with Italian recettaculo, ricettaculo, Portuguese receptáculo, Spanish receptáculo.