Receptacle Re·cep"ta·cle (re*sĕp"tȧ*k'l) noun [ French réceptacle , Latin receptaculum , from receptare , v. intens. from recipere to receive. See Receive .] 1. That which serves, or is used, for receiving and containing something, as a basket, a vase, a bag, a reservoir; a repository.

O sacred receptacle of my joys!

Shak.

2. (Botany) (a) The apex of the flower stalk, from which the organs of the flower grow, or into which they are inserted. See Illust. of Flower , and Ovary . (b) The dilated apex of a pedicel which serves as a common support to a head of flowers. (c) An intercellular cavity containing oil or resin or other matters. (d) A special branch which bears the fructification in many cryptogamous plants.

Receptacular Rec`ep·tac"u·lar (rĕs`ĕp*tăk"u*lẽr) adjective [ Confer French réceptaculaire .] (Botany) Pertaining to the receptacle, or growing on it; as, the receptacular chaff or scales in the sunflower.

Receptaculum Rec`ep·tac"u·lum (-lŭm) noun ; plural Receptacula (-lȧ). [ Latin ] (Anat.) A receptacle; as, the receptaculum of the chyle.

Receptary Rec"ep·ta·ry (rĕs"ĕp*ta*rȳ) adjective Generally or popularly admitted or received. [ Obsolete] Sir T. Browne.

Receptary Rec"ep·ta·ry noun That which is received. [ Obsolete] " Receptaries of philosophy." Sir T. Browne.

Receptibility Re·cep`ti·bil"i·ty (re*sĕp`tĭ*bĭl"ĭ*tȳ) noun 1. The quality or state of being receptible; receivableness.

2. A receptible thing. [ R.] Glanvill.

Receptible Re·cep"ti·ble (re*sĕp"tĭ*b'l) adjective [ Latin receptibilis .] Such as may be received; receivable.

Reception Re·cep"tion (-shŭn) noun [ French réception , Latin receptio , from recipere , receptum . See Receive .] 1. The act of receiving; receipt; admission; as, the reception of food into the stomach; the reception of a letter; the reception of sensation or ideas; reception of evidence.

2. The state of being received.

3. The act or manner of receiving, esp. of receiving visitors; entertainment; hence, an occasion or ceremony of receiving guests; as, a hearty reception ; an elaborate reception .

What reception a poem may find.

Goldsmith.

4. Acceptance, as of an opinion or doctrine.

Philosophers who have quitted the popular doctrines of their countries have fallen into as extravagant opinions as even common reception countenanced.

Locke.

5. A retaking; a recovery. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Receptive Re·cep"tive (re*sĕp"tĭv) adjective [ Confer French réceptif . See Receive .] Having the quality of receiving; able or inclined to take in, absorb, hold, or contain; receiving or containing; as, a receptive mind.

Imaginary space is receptive of all bodies.

Glanvill.

Receptiveness Re·cep"tive·ness noun The quality of being receptive.

Receptivity Rec`ep·tiv"i·ty (rĕs`ĕp*tĭv"ĭ*tȳ or rē`sĕp- ) noun [ Confer French réceptivité .] 1. The state or quality of being receptive.

2. (Kantian Philos.) The power or capacity of receiving impressions, as those of the external senses.

Receptory Re·cep"to·ry (re*sĕp"to*rȳ; 277) noun [ Confer Latin receptorium a place of shelter.] Receptacle. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Recess Re·cess" (re*sĕs") noun [ Latin recessus , from recedere , recessum . See Recede .] 1. A withdrawing or retiring; a moving back; retreat; as, the recess of the tides.

Every degree of ignorance being so far a recess and degradation from rationality.

South.

My recess hath given them confidence that I may be conquered.

Eikon Basilike.

2. The state of being withdrawn; seclusion; privacy.

In the recess of the jury they are to consider the evidence.

Sir M. Hale.

Good verse recess and solitude requires.

Dryden.

3. Remission or suspension of business or procedure; intermission, as of a legislative body, court, or school.

The recess of . . . Parliament lasted six weeks.

Macaulay.

4. Part of a room formed by the receding of the wall, as an alcove, niche, etc.

A bed which stood in a deep recess .

W. Irving.

5. A place of retirement, retreat, secrecy, or seclusion.

Departure from this happy place, our sweet
Recess , and only consolation left.

Milton.

6. Secret or abstruse part; as, the difficulties and recesses of science. I. Watts.

7. (Bot. & Zoology) A sinus.

Recess Re·cess" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Recessed ; present participle & verbal noun Recessing .] To make a recess in; as, to recess a wall.

Recess Re·cess" noun [ G.] A decree of the imperial diet of the old German empire. Brande & C.

Recessed Re·cessed" (re*sĕst") adjective 1. Having a recess or recesses; as, a recessed arch or wall.

2. Withdrawn; secluded. [ R.] "Comfortably recessed from curious impertinents." Miss Edgeworth.

Recessed arch (Architecture) , one of a series of arches constructed one within another so as to correspond with splayed jambs of a doorway, or the like.

Recession Re·ces"sion (re*sĕsh"ŭn) noun [ Latin recessio , from recedere , recessum . See Recede .] The act of receding or withdrawing, as from a place, a claim, or a demand. South.

Mercy may rejoice upon the recessions of justice.

Jer. Taylor.

Recession Re·ces"sion noun [ Prefix re- + cession .] The act of ceding back; restoration; repeated cession; as, the recession of conquered territory to its former sovereign.

Recessional Re·ces"sion·al (- a l) adjective Of or pertaining to recession or withdrawal.

Recessional hymn , a hymn sung in a procession returning from the choir to the robing room.

Recessive Re·ces"sive (re*sĕs"sĭv) adjective Going back; receding.

Rechabite Re"chab·ite (rē"kăb*īt) noun (Jewish Hist.) One of the descendants of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, all of whom by his injunction abstained from the use of intoxicating drinks and even from planting the vine. Jer . xxxv . 2-19. Also, in modern times, a member of a certain society of abstainers from alcoholic liquors.

Rechange Re·change" (rē*chānj") transitive verb & i. To change again, or change back.

Recharge Re·charge" (rē*chärj") transitive verb & i. [ Prefix re- + charge : confer French recharger .] 1. To charge or accuse in return.

2. To attack again; to attack anew. Dryden.

Recharter Re·char"ter (rē*chär"tẽr) noun A second charter; a renewal of a charter. D. Webster.

Recharter Re·char"ter transitive verb To charter again or anew; to grant a second or another charter to.

Rechase Re·chase" (rē*chās") transitive verb [ Prefix re- + chase : confer French rechasser .] To chase again; to chase or drive back.

Réchauffé Ré`chauf`fé" noun [ French, orig. p.p. of réchauffer 8warm over. See Chafe , transitive verb ] A dish of food that has been warmed again, hence, fig., something made up from old material; a rehash.

It is merely a réchauffé of ancient philosophies.

F. W. H. Myers.

Recheat Re·cheat" (re*chēt") noun [ French requêté , from requêter to hunt anew. See Request .] (Sporting) A strain given on the horn to call back the hounds when they have lost track of the game.

Recheat Re·cheat" intransitive verb To blow the recheat. Drayton.

Recherché Re·cher`ché" (r e *shâr`sha") adjective [ French] Sought out with care; choice. Hence: of rare quality, elegance, or attractiveness; peculiar and refined in kind.

Rechless Rech"less (rĕk"lĕs) adjective Reckless. [ Obsolete] P. Plowman.

Rechoose Re·choose" (rē*chōz") transitive verb To choose again.

Recidivate Re·cid"i·vate (re*sĭd"ĭ*vāt) intransitive verb [ Late Latin recidivare . See Recidivous .] To backslide; to fall again. [ Obsolete]

Recidivation Re·cid`i·va"tion (-vā"shŭn) noun [ Late Latin recidivatio .] A falling back; a backsliding. Hammond.

Recidivism Re·cid"i·vism noun The state or quality of being recidivous; relapse, specif. (Criminology) , a falling back or relapse into prior criminal habits, esp. after conviction and punishment.

The old English system of recognizances, in which the guilty party deposits a sum of money, is an excellent guarantee to society against recidivism .

Havelock Ellis.

Recidivist Re·cid"i·vist noun One who is recidivous or is characterized by recidivism; an incorrigible criminal. -- Re*cid`i*vis"tic adjective

The criminal by passion never becomes a recidivist , it is the social, not the antisocial, instincts that are strong within him, his crime is a solitary event in his life.

Havelock Ellis.

Recidivous Re·cid"i·vous (re*sĭd"ĭ*vŭs) adjective [ Latin recidivus , from recidere to fall back.] Tending or liable to backslide or relapse to a former condition or habit.

Recipe Rec"i·pe (rĕs"ĭ*pe) noun ; plural Recipes (- pēz). [ Latin , imperative of recipere to take back, take in, receive. See Receive .] A formulary or prescription for making some combination, mixture, or preparation of materials; a receipt; especially, a prescription for medicine.

Recipiangle Re·cip"i·an`gle (re*sĭp"ĭ*ăn`g'l) noun [ Latin recipere to take + angulus angle.] An instrument with two arms that are pivoted together at one end, and a graduated arc, -- used by military engineers for measuring and laying off angles of fortifications.

Recipience Re·cip"i·ence (re*sĭp"ĭ* e ns), Re*cip"i*en*cy (- e n*sȳ) noun The quality or state of being recipient; a receiving; reception; receptiveness.

Recipient Re·cip"i·ent (- e nt) noun [ Latin recipiens , -entis , receiving, present participle of recipere to receive: confer French récipient . See Receive .] A receiver; the person or thing that receives; one to whom, or that to which, anything is given or communicated; specifically, the receiver of a still.

Recipient Re·cip"i·ent adjective Receiving; receptive.

Reciprocal Re·cip"ro·cal (-ro*k a l) adjective [ Latin reciprocus ; of unknown origin.] 1. Recurring in vicissitude; alternate.

2. Done by each to the other; interchanging or interchanged; given and received; due from each to each; mutual; as, reciprocal love; reciprocal duties.

Let our reciprocal vows be remembered.

Shak.

3. Mutually interchangeable.

These two rules will render a definition reciprocal with the thing defined.

I. Watts.

4. (Gram.) Reflexive; -- applied to pronouns and verbs, but sometimes limited to such pronouns as express mutual action.

5. (Math.) Used to denote different kinds of mutual relation; often with reference to the substitution of reciprocals for given quantities. See the Phrases below.

Reciprocal equation (Math.) , one which remains unchanged in form when the reciprocal of the unknown quantity is substituted for that quantity. -- Reciprocal figures (Geom.) , two figures of the same kind (as triangles, parallelograms, prisms, etc.), so related that two sides of the one form the extremes of a proportion of which the means are the two corresponding sides of the other; in general, two figures so related that the first corresponds in some special way to the second, and the second corresponds in the same way to the first. -- Reciprocal proportion (Math.) , a proportion such that, of four terms taken in order, the first has to the second the same ratio which the fourth has to the third, or the first has to the second the same ratio which the reciprocal of the third has to the reciprocal of the fourth. Thus, 2:5: :20:8 form a reciprocal proportion , because 2:5: : 1/20 : 1/8 . -- Reciprocal quantities (Math.) , any two quantities which produce unity when multiplied together. -- Reciprocal ratio (Math.) , the ratio between the reciprocals of two quantities; as, the reciprocal ratio of 4 to 9 is that of ¼ to &frac19;. -- Reciprocal terms (Logic) , those terms which have the same signification, and, consequently, are convertible, and may be used for each other.

Syn. -- Mutual; alternate. -- Reciprocal , Mutual . The distinctive idea of mutual is, that the parties unite by interchange in the same act; as, a mutual covenant; mutual affection, etc. The distinctive idea of reciprocal is, that one party acts by way of return or response to something previously done by the other party; as, a reciprocal kindness; reciprocal reproaches, etc. Love is reciprocal when the previous affection of one party has drawn forth the attachment of the other. To make it mutual in the strictest sense, the two parties should have fallen in love at the same time; but as the result is the same, the two words are here used interchangeably. The ebbing and flowing of the tide is a case where the action is reciprocal , but not mutual .

Reciprocal Re·cip"ro·cal noun 1. That which is reciprocal to another thing.

Corruption is a reciprocal to generation.

Bacon.

2. (Arith. & Alg.) The quotient arising from dividing unity by any quantity; thus, ¼ is the reciprocal of 4; 1/(a +b) is the reciprocal of a + b . The reciprocal of a fraction is the fraction inverted, or the denominator divided by the numerator.

Reciprocality Re·cip`ro·cal"i·ty (-kăl"ĭ*tȳ) noun The quality or condition of being reciprocal; reciprocalness. [ R.]

Reciprocally Re·cip"ro·cal·ly (re*sĭp"ro*k a l*lȳ) adverb 1. In a reciprocal manner; so that each affects the other, and is equally affected by it; interchangeably; mutually.

These two particles do reciprocally affect each other with the same force.

Bentley.

2. (Math.) In the manner of reciprocals.

Reciprocally proportional (Arith. & Alg.) , proportional, as two variable quantities, so that the one shall have a constant ratio to the reciprocal of the other.

Reciprocalness Re·cip"ro·cal·ness (re*sĭp"ro*k a l*nĕs) noun The quality or condition of being reciprocal; mutual return; alternateness.

Reciprocate Re·cip"ro·cate (-kāt) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Reciprocated (- kā`tĕd); present participle & verbal noun Reciprocating .] [ Latin reciprocatus , past participle of reciprocare . See Reciprocal .] To move forward and backward alternately; to recur in vicissitude; to act interchangeably; to alternate.

One brawny smith the puffing bellows plies,
And draws and blows reciprocating air.

Dryden.

Reciprocating engine , a steam, air, or gas engine, etc., in which the piston moves back and forth; -- in distinction from a rotary engine , in which the piston travels continuously in one direction in a circular path. -- Reciprocating motion (Mech.) , motion alternately backward and forward, or up and down, as of a piston rod.

Reciprocate Re·cip"ro·cate transitive verb To give and return mutually; to make return for; to give in return; to interchange; to alternate; as, to reciprocate favors. Cowper.

Reciprocation Re·cip`ro·ca"tion (-kā"shŭn) noun [ Latin reciprocatio : confer French réciprocation .] 1. The act of reciprocating; interchange of acts; a mutual giving and returning; as, the reciprocation of kindnesses.

2. Alternate recurrence or action; as, the reciprocation of the sea in the flow and ebb of tides. Sir T. Browne.

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