recess

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈɹiˌsɛs/ UK /ɹɪˈsɛs/ See IPA manual

Freq #9794

Meanings

1

noun
A short break from work or activity, such as a pause in a meeting, court session, or school day.

The committee took a brief recess before voting on the proposal.
2

noun
A small space set back into a wall or surface; a hollow or alcove.

They built a recess into the wall to hold the bookshelves.
3

noun
A hidden, secret, or hard-to-reach inner part of a place.

The treasure was hidden in the deepest recesses of the cave.
4

verb
To set something back into a surface so it does not stick out.

They chose to recess the lights into the ceiling for a cleaner look.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a short break from work or... break breather pause hiatus

Word family

Forms recessedrecessesrecessing

Derived forms nonrecessnonrecessedrecessablerecessedrecesserrecessingrecesslikeunrecessed

Related forms recession recessive

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…

*wer- Proto-Indo-European recessus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# recess

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈɹiˌsɛs/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹɪˈsɛs/
**Frequency rank:** 9794

## Meanings
1. A short break from work or activity, such as a pause in a meeting, court session, or school day.
2. A small space set back into a wall or surface; a hollow or alcove.
3. A hidden, secret, or hard-to-reach inner part of a place.
4. To set something back into a surface so it does not stick out.

## Examples
- The committee took a brief recess before voting on the proposal.
- They built a recess into the wall to hold the bookshelves.
- The treasure was hidden in the deepest recesses of the cave.
- They chose to recess the lights into the ceiling for a cleaner look.

## Derived Forms
- nonrecess
- nonrecessed
- recessable
- recessed
- recesser
- recessing
- recesslike
- unrecessed

## Related Forms
- recession
- recessive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *wer-
- Root: recessus

## 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…

## AI Etymology
For recess, 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. In present-day use, it can mean a short break from work or activity, such as a pause in a meeting, court session, or school day, or a small space set back into a wall or surface; a hollow or alcove.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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