The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Consignee \Con`sign*ee"\ (?; 277), n. [F. consign?, p. p. of
   consigner.]
   The person to whom goods or other things are consigned; a
   factor; -- correlative to consignor.
   [1913 Webster]

         Consigner and consignee are used by merchants to
         express generally the shipper of merchandise, and the
         person to whom it is addressed, by bill of lading or
         otherwise.                               --De Colange.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

consignee
    n 1: the person to whom merchandise is delivered over

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

62 Moby Thesaurus words for "consignee":
   Federal, accepter, acquirer, addressee, agent, amanuensis,
   audience, auditor, baggage agent, beholder, business agent,
   claim agent, clerk, commercial agent, commission agent,
   customer agent, dupe, factor, fed, federal agent, freight agent,
   functionary, general agent, getter, hearer, holder, implement,
   instrument, insurance agent, land agent, law agent, listener,
   literary agent, loan agent, looker, news agent, obtainer, official,
   parliamentary agent, passenger agent, payee, press agent, procurer,
   puppet, purchasing agent, real estate agent, receiver, recipient,
   sales agent, secretary, special agent, spectator, station agent,
   steward, taker, theatrical agent, ticket agent, tool, travel agent,
   trustee, viewer, walking delegate



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

CONSIGNEE, contracts. One to whom a consignment is made.
     2. When the goods consigned to him are his own, and they have been
ordered to be sent, they are at his risk the moment the consignment is made
according to his direction; and the persons employed in the transmission of
the goods are his agents. 1 Liverm. on Ag, 9. When the goods are not his
own, if he accept the consignment, he is bound to pursue the instructions of
the consignor; as if the goods be consigned upon condition that the
consignee will accept the consignor's bills, he is bound to accept them; Id.
139; or if he is directed to insure, he must do so. Id. 325.
     3. It is usual in bills of lading to state that the goods are to be
delivered to the consignee or his assigns, he or they paying freight; in
such case the consignee or his assigns, by accepting the goods, by
implication, become bound to pay the freight, Abbott on Sh. p. 3, c. 7, Sec.
4; 3 Bing. R, 383.
     4. When a person acts, publicly as a consignee, there is an implied
engagement on his part that he will be vigilant in receiving goods consigned
to his care, so as to make him responsible for any loss which the owner may
sustain in consequence of his neglect. 9 Watts & Serg. 62.