recede

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /rɪˈsid/ UK /rɪˈsiːd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to move back or away; to grow fainter or more distant

As the tide began to recede, the rocks reappeared.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to move back or away; to... retreat withdraw ebb subside retire diminish wane

Opposites

advance approach proceed

Word family

Derived forms recession recessive recessional

Related forms concede precede secede accede

Simplified etymology

Recede entered English in the late Middle English period and derives from the family of Latin cedere, “to yield, give way, go.” Its underlying sense is “go back.”

Etymology

From Latin recedere ('to go back, withdraw'), from re- ('back') + cedere ('to go, yield').

recedere Latin cedere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# recede

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /rɪˈsid/
**IPA (UK):** /rɪˈsiːd/

## Meanings
1. to move back or away; to grow fainter or more distant

## Examples
- As the tide began to recede, the rocks reappeared.

## Synonyms
- retreat
- withdraw
- ebb
- subside
- retire
- diminish
- wane

## Antonyms
- advance
- approach
- proceed

## Derived Forms
- recession
- recessive
- recessional

## Related Forms
- concede
- precede
- secede
- accede

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: recedere
- Root: cedere

## Etymology
From Latin recedere ('to go back, withdraw'), from re- ('back') + cedere ('to go, yield').

## AI Etymology
Recede comes from Latin recedere ('to go back, withdraw'), from re- ('back') + cedere ('to go, yield'). The historical chain includes Latin recedere and Latin cedere. Older glosses in the chain include "to go back, withdraw", "back", and "to go, yield", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, recede is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb, with the sense "to move back or away; to grow fainter or more distant". English derivatives include recession, recessive, and recessional; related forms include concede, precede, secede, and accede. The result is an English verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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