Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (n.) 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. (n.) The state of being received.

3. (n.) 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.

4. (n.) Acceptance, as of an opinion or doctrine.

5. (n.) A retaking; a recovery.