Other forms: receptions
Reception is the desk where guests arrive and are booked in — at a hotel, an office, a surgery. Ask at reception, the reception desk, leave it with reception.
It is also a formal party, especially after a wedding, and the way something is received: a warm reception, the film had a poor reception. And reception is the strength of a radio or phone signal — no reception in the valley — which is the sense most likely to come up on a journey. In English primary schools, Reception is the first year, for four and five year olds, and it is capitalised as a year name.
1nounreceptionThe desk where visitors arrive and are dealt with.
“Leave your bags at reception.”
2nounpartyA formal party, especially after a wedding.
“The reception was in a marquee behind the house.”
3nounreceivedThe way something is received by people.
“The book had a mixed reception.”
4nounstrengthThe strength of a radio or phone signal.
“There is no reception at all past the bridge.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
reception is a receiving, or the place it happens.
Latin receptio is a receiving, from recipere — re- plus capere, to take. The same verb gives receive, recipe, which was originally an instruction meaning take, and receipt. Everything in the family is about taking something in.
Proto-Indo-European
*keh₂p-
Latin
receptiō — the act of receiving; reception
Middle French
reception
Middle English
recepcion,reception
English, today
reception
Built from
From Middle English recepcion,reception, from Middle French reception, from Latin receptiō (“the act of receiving; reception”), from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”). Equivalent to receive + tion.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA