recess

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Latin recessus (“act of going back, departure, receding, retiring; (figuratively) retreat, withdrawal; (metonymically) distant, secluded, or secret spot, corner, nook, retreat; recessed part, indentation”) (also Late Latin recessus (“decree or resolution of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire”)), from recēdō (“to go back, recede, retire, withdraw; to go away, depart; (by extension) to disappear, vanish; to separate; to stand back, be distant; to yield”) (from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + cēdō (“to go, move, proceed”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs); influenced by Middle French recès, French recès (“a break, pause; break between classes in school; school vacation; ebbing of tide; reduction”) (also Anglo-Norman recès and Old French recès (“hiding place; hollow”). Sense 5 (“decree or resolution of the diet of the Holy Roman Empire, etc.”) is possibly influenced by Italian recesso and refers to a decree or resolution made just before a meeting ends. The adjective and verb are derived from the noun. cognates * Catalan recés * Italian recesso * Middle French recès (modern French recès) * Portuguese recesso * Spanish receso

noun

1. (countable) A depressed, hollow, or indented space; also, a hole or opening.
   1. (architecture) A small space created by building part of a wall further back from the rest; a niche.
   2. (criminal slang, usually in the plural) The place in a prison where the communal lavatories are located.
2. (countable) A hidden, innermost, or inaccessible place or part of a place.
   1. (archaic) A place of retirement, retreat, or seclusion.
   2. (figurative, usually in the plural) An obscure, remote, or secret situation.
      the difficulties and recesses of science
3. (countable) A temporary stoppage of an activity; a break, a pause.
   1. (government) A period of time when the proceedings of a committee, court of law, parliament, or other official body are temporarily suspended.
   2. (Australia, Britain, Canada, US, education) A time away from studying during the school day for a meal or recreation.
      Students who do not listen in class will not play outside during recess.
4. (countable, archaic) An act of retiring or withdrawing; a moving back.
   the recess of the tides
5. (countable, historical) A decree or resolution of the diet of the Holy Roman Empire or the Hanseatic League.
   Besides the fundamental laws and the capitulations, the constitution of the Empire was contained in the Recesses or collections of Decrees of the Diet, which was the general legislative body of the whole Federal union; […] Foonote †: “A decree of the Diet was called a conclusum; the whole decrees made at any Diet, and promulgated in a body upon the close of the Diet, were called a Recess.” 1842, [Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux], “The Germanic Empire”, in Political Philosophy.[…], London: Society [for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge],[…]; Chapman and Hall,[…], →OCLC, page 484
6. (obsolete)
   1. (countable) An act of retiring or withdrawing from public life, society, etc.; also, an act of living in retirement or seclusion, or a period of such retirement or seclusion.
   2. (uncountable)
      1. Leisure, relaxation.
      2. The state of being withdrawn.
   3. (figurative)
      1. (countable) A departure from a norm or position.
      2. (countable) A time interval during which something ceases; an interruption, a respite.

adj

1. (obsolete, rare) Of a place or time: distant, remote.

verb

1. (transitive)
   1. To position (something) a distance behind another thing; to set back.
      It will also enable slower-moving freight trains to be recessed in the new down goods loop to await, if necessary, a suitable margin before proceeding to Stafford or Stoke and so reduce confliction with other main-line trains. 1962 January, “Talking of Trains: Track Re-arrangement at Colwich”, in Modern Railways, Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10
   2. (often architecture)
      1. To make a recess (noun sense 1 and sense 1.1) in (something).
         to recess a wall
      2. (also reflexive) Often preceded by in or into: to inset (something) into a recess or niche.
         That gargoyle recesses into the rest of architecture.
         Recess the screw so it does not stick out.
   3. (figurative) To conceal, to hide.
   4. (chiefly US, government)
      1. To temporarily suspend (a meeting, the proceedings of an official body, etc.).
      2. (informal) To make a recess appointment in respect of (someone).
         To the National Rifle Association's delight, the Senate has hobbled the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by failing to confirm a director since 2006, but [Barack] Obama hasn't made a recess appointment. […] "The President's view of his own power is a constrained one," says White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler. "Many of his nominees have languished, but he's only recessed the ones that were critical to keep agencies functioning." 14 January 2013, Michael Grunwald, “Cliff Dweller”, in Time, volume 181, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 27, column 3
2. (intransitive, chiefly US, government)
   1. Of a meeting, the proceedings of an official body, etc.: to adjourn, to take a break.
      Class will recess for 20 minutes.
   2. Of an official body: to suspend proceedings for a period of time.
      This court shall recess for its lunch break now.