noun / verb
socket
SAH-kit/ˈsɑːkɪt/
A receiving recess into which a matching part connects.
The bulb's screw base matches the threaded recess inside the ceramic socket.
Etymology
Soc, “plowshare,” with a diminutive ending first named a plowshare-shaped spearhead. The word later meant a hollow holder, the sense shared by electrical sockets and anatomical joints.
In context
the hip is a ball and socket joint the ball is the head of your thigh bone or femur and the socket known as the acetabulum is part of your pelvis
More examples
- The shoulder joint holds the upper arm bone in a socket.
- The technician sockets the replacement chip into the circuit board.
- The program opens a socket to communicate with the server.
Forms
socket · sockets · socketed · socketing
Similar words
- receptacle
- A broader term for a container or receiving fitting.
- recess
- A hollow or indentation, not necessarily shaped for a matching part.