Ancient Chinese cooking-vessel character

It names a large ancient Chinese cooking vessel.

Classical dictionaries gloss it as a large 釜 (a cauldron) and also connect it to 甑, a steamer broad at the top and narrow below. The Shuowen jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary, records the older Zhou-script variant 𩱠. The Book of Songs, an early collection of Chinese poetry, uses 釜鬵 in a line about washing cooking vessels before preparing fish. 鬵 combines 鬲, a vessel component, with 兓, its sound element.

What should I infer if someone sends 鬵 alone?

Don't infer a clear emotion from the character alone.

It is an old literary word; a modern message may quote a text, name a vessel, or show a character someone looked up. Ask for the source if the tone matters.