LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

receptāculum

receptāculum n (genitive receptāculī)
Classical[rɛ.kɛpˈtaː.kʊ.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[re.t͡ʃepˈtaː.ku.lum]

Meaning

  1. A place to keep things in; reservoir, receptacle, repository, container.
  2. A place of refuge, lurking-place, shelter, retreat.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativereceptāculumreceptācula
genitivereceptāculīreceptāculōrum
dativereceptāculōreceptāculīs
accusativereceptāculumreceptācula
ablativereceptāculōreceptāculīs
vocativereceptāculumreceptācula

rĕceptācŭlum, i, n. id., a place to receive or keep things in,
I. a reservoir, magazine, receptacle.
I. In gen.: corpus quasi vas est aut aliquod animi receptaculum, Cic. Tusc. 1, 22, 52: cibi et potionis (alvus), id. N. D. 2, 54, 136: frugibus, Tac. G. 16: cibi receptaculum ventriculus, Lact. Opif. Dei, 11: avium, Col. 8, 15, 4: aquatilium animalium, id. 8, 1, 3: praedarum, Plin. Pan. 36, 1: olei, Pall. 1, 20, 2: cloaca maxima, receptaculum omnium purgamentorum urbis, Liv. 1, 56, 2: aquae, a reservoir, Vitr. 8, 7; cf. Nili, Tac. A. 2, 61: ignium, Vulg. Exod. 27, 3. —
II. In partic., a place of refuge, a lurking-place, shelter, retreat, = locus ad receptum aptus (so usually): castra sunt victori receptaculum, victo perfugium, Liv. 44, 39: (Sicilia) illud receptaculum classibus nostris, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 1, § 3: pro castello ac receptaculo turrim facere, Caes. B. C. 2, 8; cf. Cic. Pis. 5, 11; and: castella diruit, ne receptaculo hostibus essent, Liv. 9, 41, 6: Capua receptaculum aratorum, Cic. Agr. 2, 23, 89; Caes. B. G. 7, 14: servitiis ex Achaiā fugientibus receptacula Macedonia erat, a rendezvous, Liv. 41, 23; cf. id. 8, 11.— With gen.: illud tibi oppidum receptaculum praedae fuit, a hiding-place for booty, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 23, § 59: receptaculum adversae pugnae, a place of refuge, Liv. 6, 33: hostium, id. 1, 33: receptaculum fugae, id. 8, 9; with which cf. exsulum, Curt. 8, 2, 12: perfugarum, Tac. A. 14, 29: receptaculum habuere castra sociorum, Just. 2, 4, 30; 9, 1, 2: perdices spinā et frutice sic muniunt receptaculum, their nest, Plin. 10, 33, 51, § 160: (mors) aeternum nihil sentiendi receptaculum, Cic. Tusc. 5, 40, 117.

Origins

From receptō (“to recover, harbor”, stem receptā-) + -culum (suffix creating nouns describing the tool or agent for effecting an action), frequentative of recipiō (“to receive; to reserve”) (past participle receptus (“recovered”)), from re- (“back, again”) + capiō (“to hold”).

Descendants
  • Catalanreceptacle
  • Englishreceptacle
  • Frenchréceptacle
  • Italianricettacolo
  • Portuguesereceptáculo
  • Spanishreceptáculo

In English words that came into English from receptāculum

  • receptaclereceptāculum
  • receptaculumreceptāculum

Quick answers

What does receptāculum mean in Latin?
receptāculum, a noun, means “A place to keep things in; reservoir, receptacle, repository, container.; A place of refuge, lurking-place, shelter, retreat.”.
What is the genitive of receptāculum?
The genitive singular is receptāculī. receptāculum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce receptāculum?
In classical Latin, [rɛ.kɛpˈtaː.kʊ.ɫũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [re.t͡ʃepˈtaː.ku.lum].