The action of receiving something or someone; a formal social gathering to welcome guests.
From Latin 'receptio', from 'recipere' meaning 'to take back, receive', composed of 're-' (back) and 'capere' (to take). The word evolved from simple receiving to elaborate welcoming ceremonies.
Reception areas in buildings are called that because they're literally where people are 'taken in' - the Latin root 'capere' also gives us 'capture' and 'capable'. This shows how welcoming guests was originally conceptualized as a form of benevolent capturing or gathering in.
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