recessn.

Brit.

/rᵻˈsɛs/,

/ˈriːsɛs/, U.S.

/ˈriˌsɛs/,

/rəˈsɛs/,

/riˈsɛs/

Forms: 1500s–1600s recesse, 1600s recease, 1600s– recess, 1900s– reecess (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 reces, pre-1700 recesse, 1700s– recess.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin recessus.

Etymology: < classical Latin recessus action of going back, retreat, withdrawal, seclusion, recessed formation or arrangement, receding part, depression, indentation of the sea, retired or inner part, remote part, place of withdrawal, secluded place, retreat, refuge, in post-classical Latin also mystery, secret (c400), resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire (so called as passed by a meeting when about to dissolve) (13th cent.) < recēdere recede v.¹ + -tus, suffix forming verbal nouns. With the sense development compare also Middle French, French recès break, pause (14th cent.; from 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman and Old French in sense ‘hiding place, hollow’), ebbing of the tide (c1400), departure (c1450), diminution (1545), resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire or the Hanseatic League (1551), school vacation, break between school classes (1611 in Cotgrave). Compare also Catalan recés (14th cent.), Spanish receso (first half of the 16th cent.), Portuguese recesso (1561), Italian recesso (14th cent.).In sense 1b perhaps originally after Italian recesso (compare quots. 1620 and 1676 at that sense).

†a. An agreement; a treaty. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > [noun] > cessation from hostile proceedings

truce1377

recess1516

truce1560

armistice1736

pax1843

cool1958

1516 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 22 Efter the forme and tenor of the recesse maid be ambaxiatouris of this realme, and procuratouris and commissionaris of Ingland thairapoun.

a1538 A. Abell Roit or Quheill of Tyme f. 22^v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Reces Mony othir batellis eftir reces of Wespasioun he straik aganis the Romanis.

b. A resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire or the Hanseatic League. Now historical.

ΘΚΠ

society > law > [noun] > edict, decree, ordinance, or institute > German or Hanseatic

recess1620

1620 N. Brent tr. P. Sarpi Hist. Councel of Trent viii. 753 The Imperialists receiued commission from their Prince, to mediate..with the Legats, that..mention might not be made of the Recesses [It. recessi] of the Diets in Germanie.

1676 Earl of Monmouth & W. Brent tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. France ix. 476 At the time of publishing of the Recesse [It. Recesso] in the Great Hall, the Emperour obliged himself to maintain sincerely all that was agreed on.

1706 tr. L. E. Du Pin New Eccl. Hist. 16th Cent. II. iii. xi. 149 The Recess [Fr. Recés] was published: It contained the following Articles. [Note What we call an Act of Parliament in England is called a Recess in Germany.]

1779 Hist. Mod. Europe II. lix. 254 The famous Recess of Augsburgh, which is the basis of religious peace in Germany.

1853 L. Duff-Gordon tr. L. von Ranke Ferd. & Maxim. ix. 82 He opposed a formal recusation to the recess of Frankfurt.

1882 P. Schaff et al. Relig. Encycl. I. 638 When the three colleges [of a diet] agreed, the decree, or recess as it was called, was submitted to the imperial sanction.

1924 R. B. Mowat Diplom. Napoleon 109 The plan was the basis of the Recess drafted by the Imperial Deputation at Ratisbon.

2005 F. C. Schneid Napoleon's Conquest Of Europe xi. 133 Friedrich-August acquired some lands from the Imperial Recess in 1803.

†c. Law. In Canon Law: any one of the stages in a court case. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 275 In the Imperial Chamber the Proctors have half a Florin..for every Substantial Recess, as they call it.

1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 275 The substantial Recesses are the Introduction of the Cause, the exhibiting of the Libel, [etc.].

2. The action or an act of withdrawal or receding. Frequently in access and recess.

†a. Withdrawing or departure (from or to a place); an instance of this. Also in extended use. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > [noun]

departing?c1225

partingc1300

withdrawingc1315

departc1330

wendingc1330

outpassinga1387

goinga1400

discessc1425

departisona1450

departmentc1450

going awayc1450

departition1470

departurec1515

recess1531

avoidance1563

parture1567

waygate1575

departance1579

exit1596

remotion1608

voiding1612

recession1630

recedence1641

recede1649

partment1663

recedure1712

leaving1719

off-going1727

quittance1757

departal1823

pull-out1825

pull-awaya1829

society > travel > aspects of travel > departure, leaving, or going away > [noun]

departing?c1225

partingc1300

departc1330

wendingc1330

going-outc1350

goinga1400

discessc1425

departisona1450

departmentc1450

departition1470

departurec1515

recess1531

avoidance1563

parture1567

waygate1575

departance1579

remotion1608

voiding1612

recede1649

partment1663

leaving1719

off-going1727

quittance1757

departal1823

waying1922

1531 King Henry VIII in State Papers Henry VIII (1836) IV. 576 Ye write unto Us of the recesse ande departing of our and your Commissioners.

1536 in Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation Church Eng. (1825) III. ii. 138 His Recesse from the Church, ye proffe not otherwise, than by the..Comon Opinion of those Parts.

1538 T. Cromwell Let. 13 July in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 147 He may haue free accesse and recesse from tyme to tyme.

1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 266 They haue easie accesse and recesse to and fro to their beguiling nets.

1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxviii. 216 The sudden recess of the Air made the bubbles..appear..numerous.

1692 T. Wagstaffe Vindic. King Charles v. 58 Not only Petition the King,..but upon his recess from Whitehall, send him a Peremptory Petition.

1724 J. Henley et al. tr. Pliny the Younger Epist. & Panegyrick I. p. xx His Recess was frequent to his Laurentine and Tuscan Villas.

a1851 D. M. Moir Poet. Wks. (1852) II. 159 (note) With free access to and recess from the same [quarries] by the sea.

†b. With reference to an immaterial thing: a (temporary) withdrawal; departure; diminution; abatement. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > backward movement > [noun] > retiring, withdrawing, or retreating

recoilc1330

retreata1393

subtraction?a1425

back-drawing1535

retirement1536

retiring1548

retraict1550

recess1561

retire1570

retiral1611

subducing1633

retiration1637

withdrawment1640

retirance1662

retreating1664

retraction1684

retreatment1721

withdrawal1824

back-pedalling1950

1561 H. Becher tr. Vocation & Callyng All Nations i. iv. sig. E(ii) In a certayne traunce or recesse of his mynde, he had powred foorth these misteries of Goddes workes.

?1590 W. Perkins Treat. Damnation 281 As long as they liue in this world according to their own feeling, there is an accesse and recesse of the spirit.

1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 109 It is the defect, and recesse of the opposite facultie.

1646 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. F. Biondi Hist. Civil Warres Eng. II. vi. 60 Leaving her in the recesse of her Fortune.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 235 The principal Recess of this Infection..was from February to April.

1785 T. Jefferson Notes Virginia vii. 146 The access of frost in the autumn, and its recess in the spring.

1847 J. Martineau Endeavours Christian Life II. xxi. 345 Painting the access and recess of his thought.

c. With reference to a natural phenomenon, as water, the sea, the planets, etc.: the action or an act of withdrawing or receding (from a certain point). Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > [noun] > going away specifically of a thing

recess1577

1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. x. f. 29/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I Linnes, and huge pooles, or such lowe bottomes, fedde with springes, as seeme to haue no accesse, but onelye recesse of waters.

1607 J. Norden Surueyors Dialogue i. 19 Alwayes at the waters recesse, euery man could finde out his owne land by the plot.

1653 T. Gataker Vindic. Annot. Jer. 10.2 157 The accesse or recesse of the Sun unto and from several parts of the world.

1695 J. Woodward Ess. Nat. Hist. Earth 254 The Sea, by this Access and Recess, shuffling the empty Shells.

1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 202 As the earth in its recess from the sun recovers by degrees its former power.

1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful iv. §16. 144 As we recede from the light..the pupil is enlarged by the retiring of the iris, in proportion to our recess.

1818 G. S. Faber Horæ Mosaicæ (ed. 2) I. 266 It is at present dry, in consequence of the gradual recess of the waters.

1835 M. Somerville On Connexion Physical Sci. (ed. 2) iii. 22 These fluctuations, owing to the tangential force, occasion an alternate recess and advance of the apsides.

1909 F. J. Snell Handbk. to Wks. Dante 358 The Sacred Poem, with its alternate rhyming, which may be compared to the surge and recess of the waves.

1958 L. Thorndike Hist. Magic & Exper. Sci. VII. ii. 25 Kepler distinguished three chief physical causes by which the heavenly bodies acted... First and most potent was the access and recess of the sun.

†3.

a. As a mass noun: seclusion, privacy; retirement. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun]

privity?c1225

recess?1532

retiredness1601

privacy1602

retirement1603

purdah1865

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun]

privity?c1225

reclusionc1430

abstractionc1450

recess?1532

privacy1534

solitariousness1545

retirea1554

secess1570

privatenessa1586

retirednessa1586

retirement1603

secrecy1607

closeness1612

shadow1612

privatea1616

recluseness1648

abstractednessa1653

recluse1665

abscondence1694

seclusion1785

seclusiveness1822

retiracy1824

secludedness1835

retraite1843

?1532 T. Paynell tr. Erasmus De Contemptu Mundi x. sig. K.ii The pleasant recesse or solytarynes of the place is the cause of sylence.

1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing xii. 110 For the prevention of such inconveniences in meditation, we choose recess and solitude.

a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 401 Faire parks or Gardens..being onely places of Recesse & pleasure.

1709 M. Prior Cloe Hunting 16 Ev'ry neighbouring Grove Sacred to soft Recess and gentle Love.

1768 Woman of Honor II. 208 I had chosen..my Aunt Clifford's..there to remain in recess for some time.

1801 Public Char. 1800–01 207 We find a man, in recess from public duty, capable of exploring the wilds of nature.

b. An act of withdrawing from society, public life, etc.; the fact of living in seclusion or retirement. Also: a period of seclusion or retirement. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] > the or an act of

retiring1548

retreat1589

secession1604

decession1606

retirement1606

seclusion1623

recessa1639

secesh1863

society > authority > office > withdrawing from or vacating office > [noun] > the or an act of

recess1763

a1639 H. Wotton Parallel betweene Earle of Essex & Duke of Buckingham (1641) 3 It brake forth into certayne suddaine recesses; sometimes from the Court to Wansteed, other whiles unto Greenewitch.

a1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 326 Famous for the debauch'd recesses of Tiberius.

1700 J. Dryden To Dutchess of Ormond in Fables sig. A5 The soft Recesses of Your Hours improve The Three fair Pledges of Your Happy Love.

1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 194 During my Recess at St. Jones's I receiv'd a very obliging Letter from him.

1763 Ann. Reg. 1762 ii. 2 During his recess..he lost nothing of his..respect for the king.

1815 Sporting Mag. 46 152 The interesting Miss Foote passes some part of her recess from Covent-Garden Theatre with her friends and relatives in Dorset and Devonshire.

†4. In extended and figurative uses.

a. A dislike or disgust for a thing. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > [noun]

loathc1175

unlikinga1398

mislovinga1500

scunner?a1513

misliking1563

recess1567

mislikea1569

quarrel1579

underliking1581

ill liking1586

disaffection1599

dyspathy1603

exception1604

aversation1612

disrelish1613

unrelishness1615

misaffection1621

averseness1622

distastefulnessa1625

disaffectedness1625

disrelishing1692

eloinmenta1763

unwantedness1955

1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 26 It becommeth to haue an appitite to that which it holdeth good and pleasant, and a recesse or lothsomnesse to y^t which maketh against it.

b. A drawing back (from a promise). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > non-observance or breach > [noun]

borrow-breacha900

brucheOE

breacha1382

violation1433

rupture1439

non-observance1453

misobservance1496

violating1523

swerving1545

infringinga1575

inobservation1579

recess1601

inobservancea1626

infringement1628

misobservancy1637

egression1651

nonconformity1653

unobservance1654

brack1658

infraction1673

violence1743

non-conformance1786

inobservancy1824

1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Commerce 96 Queene Marie by the way of Recesse..reuoked this Decree, and restored the Hanses to their former priuiledges.

1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xlii. 125 Some..admit of an absolute recesse from a word already passed.

c. A departure from some state or standard. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > [noun] > avoiding an action or condition > turning aside from a course of action

divagation1560

swaya1586

deviation1603

deflection1605

recess1605

recession1614

exit1615

non-residence1615

exorbitancy1623

exorbitancea1628

exorbitationa1628

aberrancy1646

aberrance1661

variationa1662

departurea1694

resilience1838

1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Gg4 Men..haue made too untimely a departure, and too remote a recesse from particulars.

1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia 430 Recesses of the parts of mans body, from the natural state.

1692 T. Beverley Concil. Disc. Dr. Crisp's Serm. 7 Every Sin..is a Recess from the Holiness of God.

1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 214 A more retir'd recoyle and recess of their..Devotionary Calls.

d. A falling back; decline. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > relapse > [noun]

again-falling1340

regressa1522

retrogration1567

regression1583

retrogradationa1609

reincidency1622

recess1641

retrogation1646

setback1669

retrogress1701

retrogression1757

backwarding1765

fallback1830

throwback1856

regressivity1890

the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)] > decline or fall off

afalleOE

swindOE

slakec1315

pairc1390

fade1398

to fall awayc1510

decline1530

to fall off1608

sink1613

recess1641

fail1819

lighten1827

1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. F^v Others, that when he was in the right course of recovery, settling to moderation, would not suffer a Recease in him.

1659 J. Harrington Art of Law-giving iii. iv. 95 This standard in a well-founded Monarchy, must bar recess; and in a well-founded Commonwealth must bar increase.

a1680 J. Harrington Horae Consecratae (1682) 395 Such was my two last Sicknesses, Deaths prelude, and a long recess Of Health.

5. Temporary suspension of work or activity.

†a. An interruption, an interlude; delay; respite. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > delay or postponement > [noun]

longingeOE

bideOE

abodec1225

bodea1300

demura1300

dwella1300

litinga1300

delayc1300

delayingc1300

demurrancec1300

but honec1325

without ensoignec1325

abidec1330

dretchingc1330

dwellingc1330

essoinc1330

tarrying1340

litea1350

delaymenta1393

respitea1393

oversettinga1398

delayancea1400

delitea1400

lingeringa1400

stounding?a1400

sunyiea1400

targea1400

train?a1400

deferring14..

dilation14..

dayc1405

prolongingc1425

spacec1430

adjourningc1436

retardationc1437

prolongation?a1439

training1440

adjournment1445

sleuthingc1450

tarry1451

tarriance1460

prorogation1476

oversetc1485

tarriage1488

debaid1489

supersedement1492

superseding1494

off-putting1496

postponing1496

tract1503

dilating1509

sparinga1513

hafting1519

sufferance1523

tracking1524

sticking1525

stay1530

pause1532

protraction1535

tracting1535

protract of time1536

protracting1540

postposition1546

staying1546

procrastination1548

difference1559

surceasing1560

tardation1568

detract1570

detracting1572

tarryment1575

rejourning1578

detraction1579

longness1579

rejournment1579

holding1581

reprieving1583

cunctation1585

retarding1585

retardance1586

temporizing1587

by and by1591

suspensea1592

procrastinatinga1594

tardance1595

linger1597

forslacking1600

morrowing1602

recess1603

deferment1612

attendance1614

put-off1623

adjournal1627

fristing1637

hanging-up1638

retardment1640

dilatoriness1642

suspension1645

stickagea1647

tardidation1647

transtemporation1651

demurragea1656

prolatation1656

prolation1656

moration1658

perendination1658

offput1730

retardure1751

postponement1757

retard1781

traverse1799

tarrowing1832

mañana1845

temporization1888

procrastinativeness1893

deferral1895

traa dy liooar1897

stalling1927

heel-tapping1949

off-put1970

1603 in T. Rymer & R. Sanderson Fœdera (1715) XVI. 494/1 That..you make a Recesse and Suspention of your Negotiation untill you shall have further Warrant..from our said Soveraigne Lord.

1622 J. Reynolds Triumphs Gods Revenge: 2nd Bk. vi. 4 After the protraction and recesse of a yeeres time, Victoryna consenteth to Sypontus to be his wife.

1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 177 On both sides they made rather a kind of Recesse, then a Breach of Treaty, and concluded vpon a Truce for some moneths following.

1706 D. Defoe Jure Divino x. 17 The small Recess the weary Land obtain'd; So little Breath to rising Freedom gave.

1728 J. Ralph Touch-stone 12 They have kept their Ground, against all vain Attempts to dislodge them; only allowing for some small Recesses for breathing Time.

b. A period of time in which the proceedings of a parliament, court, or other official body are suspended or adjourned. Also (now chiefly North American): a break between school classes, typically used for loosely organized recreational activities.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [noun] > a period of

leisurec1449

non-terminus1573

Sabbatism1582

non-term1607

recess1620

playtime1631

by-hour1639

vacancy1654

relache1780

lounge1806

spellc1845

pink-eye1901

seventh-inning stretch1915

standoff1918

timeout1931

the world > action or operation > ceasing > temporary cessation of activity or operation > [noun]

steadc1000

leathc1175

abiding1340

broklinga1400

pausation1422

pausing1440

interceasingc1450

suspensing?1504

suspending1524

intermission1526

leathing1535

suspensationc1571

intercession1572

suspense1584

abeyance1593

suspension1603

recession1606

interruption1607

recess1620

intercision1625

intercessation1659

intermittency1662

pretermission1677

break1689

cess1703

intermittence1796

society > education > educational administration > school administration > [noun] > holidays

recess1797

1620 Orig. Jrnls. House of Lords 22 Mar. 9 84 They [sc. the Commons] humblie desire to knowe the tyme of the recesse of this parliam^t, and of the accesse againe.

a1671 T. Fairfax Short Mem. (1699) 22 In this recess of action, we had several treaties about prisoners.

1706 Royal Speech 16 Feb. in London Gaz. No. 4202/1 It will be convenient to make a Recess in some short Time.

1797 A. M. Bennett Beggar Girl II. iv. 70 Every recess of the school they passed at Mushroom-place.

1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre II. ii. 35 After the Easter recess, Sir George Lynn, who was lately elected member for Millcote, will have to go up to town and take his seat.

1861 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner xxvi. 305 In the recess, as it was called, or interval of suspended studies in the middle of the forenoon.

1881 W. E. Gladstone in Times 8 Oct. 6/3 We are in a Parliamentary recess, but the leaders of the Tories do not appear to have had any recess at all.

1913 A. Huxley Let. 3 Feb. (1969) 47 I had a very good vacation, or do you call it Ree-cess?, as one (female) American asked me.

1954 D. Du Maurier Mary Anne 301 It was just as well the House would soon rise for the summer recess.

1975 Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 1 Nov. 22/1 I watched him carefully as he won game after game at recess one day.

2007 New Scientist 1 Sept. 50/1 The excitement of a child released for recess.

†c. Without article: relaxation, leisure. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > [noun]

restingOE

leisure13..

voidnessa1382

remissionc1384

vacationc1386

ease1393

otiosity1483

holiday1526

otiation1589

idlesse1596

vacance1610

playa1616

vacancya1616

remissness1624

recess1644

otium cum dignitate1729

dolce far niente1814

disoccupation1834

otium1850

non-work1855

kef1864

toillessness1877

1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia Ep. Ded. sig. A3^v Having intentionally consecrated all the issues of my recesse and leisure to certaine select Friends.

1659 J. Shirley Honoria & Mammon To Rdr. sig. A3 Applying my self further, at times of recess.

1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 159 A Love of moderate Recess and Rest from Action.

1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 215 His hours of leisure and recess employs In drawing pictures of forbidden joys.

6. Any one of the most remote or innermost parts or corners of a thing; a hidden place.

a. In plural. With reference to the soul, heart, brain, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] > inward or hidden thoughts, etc.

the bird in one's (also the) bosom1548

bosom1600

underthought1602

recess1605

arrière-pensée1617

sanctuary1642

the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > seat of the emotions > [noun] > breast or heart > inmost heart or bottom of heart

groundc1175

heart-roota1200

roota1200

heartstring1533

heart of hearts1604

heart's core1604

recess1605

1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Bbb1 Momus..seeing in the frame of mans heart, such Angles and recesses, founde fault there was not a windowe to looke into them.

1643 J. Caryl Expos. 3 First Chaps. Iob 419 How they may get themselves a name and riches,..the most retired thoughts and recesses of the soule are about these things.

1694 R. South 12 Serm. II. 409 Sorrow..must force, and make its way into the very inmost Corners, and Recesses of the Soul.

1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. i. 711 The Thoughts that roll Deep in the close Recesses of my Soul.

1799 J. Fiévée Suzette’s Dowry 9 My brother had avoided letting me see into the recesses of his soul.

1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision I. i. 18 The fear, That in my heart's recesses deep had lain.

1840 J. S. Mill Diss. & Disc. (1875) I. 408 The question lies..in the recesses of psychology.

1904 F. Rolfe Hadrian VII iii. 87 He withdrew His sensibilities from the surface; and concentrated them in the inmost recesses of his soul, foreseeing, forescheming.

1979 A. Storr Art of Psychotherapy vii. 59 Most of the traits we most deplore in others have their place within the recesses of our own psyches.

1990 A. Stevens On Jung i. 5 He, the individual man, was able to reveal the universal man lurking in the dark recesses of his own soul.

2004 Time Out N.Y. 2 Dec. 117/4 The band's sound..jackhammered an impression in the dark recesses of your consciousness.

b. With reference to a building, natural feature, etc. Frequently in plural. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] > less prominent position

recess1616

background1781

the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [noun] > that which is within > interior part(s) > innermost part

inmosta1050

highestlOE

depth1382

intestinea1533

bottom1587

penetral1589

deep1609

recess1616

recessora1637

intime1657

intrinsic1665

penetralia1668

innermost1674

1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor Recesse, a bye-place.

1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 224 Gentlemens houses..having more in the recess than they promise in the front.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 140 Within a Mountain's hollow Womb, there lies A large Recess, conceal'd from Human Eyes.

1755 J. Hervey Theron & Aspasio II. ix. 3 Over this Recess, so pleasingly horrid..arose an open and airy Belvidere.

1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. vi. 143 To carry torches into every recess of the ruin.

1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod Introd. 4 A pursuit..only requisite in the gloomy recesses of the cloister.

1871 L. Stephen Playground of Europe ii. 88 The little village..lies..deep in the recesses of the Pennine chain.

1921 L. Strachey Queen Victoria iii. 55 In the recesses of the palace her mysterious figure was at once invisible and omnipresent.

1931 H. Read Meaning of Art ii. 44 We look back into the past and see art and religion emerging hand in hand from the dim recesses of pre-history.

1987 R. Berthoud Life Henry Moore vii. 132 Since the Ice Age that same fascination has lured man into the innermost recesses of the earth.

2002 T. D. Hidier Born Confused iv. 27 She would have had to have reached into the deepest recesses of my closet.

a. A remote and secluded spot, a secret or private place. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > place > [noun] > set apart or out of the way

anglea1325

nooka1425

retreatc1500

odd corner1576

recess1611

off-corner1793

cubby1868

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > a secret place, hiding place > [noun]

hidelsc975

hidela1300

bushc1330

hulkc1330

derna1340

tapissinga1340

coverta1375

hiding1382

loting-placea1398

cover14..

hiding placec1440

mewa1450

closetc1450

hole1483

cure1502

secret1530

shrouding place1571

ivy-bush1576

coney burrowa1586

hidlings1597

foxhole1606

shrouding corner1610

recess1611

subterfuge1616

latibule1623

latebra1626

blind1646

privacy1648

hide1649

retreat1697

rathole1770

hidey-hole1817

tod hole1846

hulster1880

hideout1885

cwtch1890

castle1898

lurk1906

stash1927

hideaway1930

society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [noun]

wroa1300

recluse1474

reclusage1480

retreatc1500

retire1595

rendezvous1598

retirement1603

recess1611

shadea1616

Jericho1635

privacy1648

sequesterment1778

seclusion1791

retraite1814

backwater1820

hideaway1930

1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. vi. xiv. 214/1 Wee haue hitherto liued in libertie, whereas none beside vs are free; vs hitherto this Corner and secret recesse hath defended.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 456 This flourie Plat, the sweet recess of Eve.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 199 Airy and cool Choultries, private Recesses for their Women.

1724 J. Henley et al. tr. Pliny the Younger Epist. & Panegyrick I. ii. xvii. 97 Do not you think that I have just Reason to frequent, to inhabit, to love this Recess?

1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 250 A woman..who had been housekeeper at Lord Winterbottom's recess.

1831 C. Lamb Ellistoniana in Englishman's Mag. Aug. The last retreat, and recess, of his every-day waning grandeur.

1921 J. Galsworthy To Let 15 His cousin June—and coming straight to his recess!

†b. A hidden part, a secret. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > [noun] > something concealed, a secret

derna1000

counsel1377

secrec1386

dernheada1400

secretnessc1425

secrecyc1450

secret1450

concealment1598

reservation1612

cabal1631

recess1646

occult1648

reserve1680

state secret1822

reserving1844

inédit1910

1646 J. Gregory Notes & Observ. ii. 6 To cast out Devills (by a knowne Recesse of the blacke Art) through him that is the Prince.

1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar iv. 52 Magnifying the recesses of his Counsell and Wisdome and Predestination.

a. A receding part or indentation in the line of some natural feature or object, such as a rock, coastline, mountain range, etc. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bend in coast > [noun]

bought1480

bight1481

recess1651

plait1828

the world > the earth > land > landscape > [noun] > landform > indented

recess1651

creek1652

the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > a receding part

bay1582

recess1651

niche1662

shoulder1669

retirement1726

1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. v. 52 The Sun, the great eye of the world, prying into the recesses of rocks, and the hollownesse of valleys.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 208 Within a long Recess there lies a Bay [L. est in secessu longo locus].

1781 W. Cowper Truth 79 His dwelling a recess in some rude rock.

1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 255 The recesses between the hills are mostly filled with gentlemen's seats.

1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxiv. 193 The cavernous recess of its cliffs.

1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness in Youth i. 75 Brought from all the recesses of the coast.

1952 J. J. Simons Jerusalem in Old Test. 178 It ends in a natural wedge-shaped recess of the rock, partly covered with stones.

b. Anatomy and Zoology. A depression, cavity, pocket, or indentation. Frequently with distinguishing word, typically indicating the location of the recess.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > shape > [noun] > bend or fold

folda1250

plight1543

duplication1578

reduplication1578

sinus1615

plica1660

recess1666

duplicature1683

reduplicature1698

geniculum1701

genu1854

infraction1882

uncinate1891

1666 Philos. Trans. 1665–6 (Royal Soc.) 1 177 He..found the recesses of the Gills so form'd, that the water..being let out by these dores, cannot by them re-enter.

1684 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Two Disc. conc. Soul of Brutes in Pract. Physick (rev. ed.) 63 As the Tongue is very versatile, it takes in with delight the Savours from every corner or recess of the Mouth.

1714 Treat. Dis. Head, Brain & Nerves (ed. 2) viii. 46 The seat of an Apoplexy is without doubt in the more inward recess of the Brain, to wit, the Corpus Callosum.

1757 C. N. Jenty Course Anatomico-physiol. Lect. III. v. 91 It is partly thought to proceed from a Gland seated in a Recess of the Orbit of the Os Frontis.

1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. viii. 126 The concave recess of the bone formed by the extuberances on each side.

1887 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. V. 606 The little pocket which lies behind this (duodeno-jejunal recess).

1949 H. Bailey Demonstr. Physical Signs Clin. Surg. (ed. 11) xiv. 149 More than once a stony-hard mass in this deep recess beneath the clavicle has proved to be..an ecchondroma.

1989 Jrnl. Paleontol. 63 370/2 Most notable is a deep recess between the head of the femur and the greater trochanter.

2001 N. Jones Rough Guide Trav. Health ii. 336 The mite..tends to seek out natural recesses such as between the fingers, armpits, the groin or in skin creases.

c. spec. A space set back in a wall; a niche or alcove.

ΘΚΠ

society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > wall of building > [noun] > recess in wall

bay1428

receipt1562

recess1678

alcove1730

ingoing1859

1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Alcove, a recess within a chamber for the setting of a Bed out of the way.

1742 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 3) II. 122 Whether..the Recesses or Panels in the Wall be curiously painted, or only plaister'd.

1774 Act 14 Geo. III c. 78 §28 It shall also be lawful to cut perpendicular Recesses into any Party-wall.

1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. iii. 87 The recesses within them [sc. oriel windows] were raised a step or two from the wall.

1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xlviii. 211 They sat down in one of the recesses on the bridge, to rest.

1875 Mrs. Ritchie Miss Angel x. 90 The gallery was evidently used as a..sitting room. There was a spinnet in a recess.

1914 J. M. Barrie Admirable Crichton iii. 125 Deep recesses half way up the walls contain various provender in barrels and sacks.

1947 M. Lowry Under Volcano vii. 221 He came out of the shower and into another little recess screened by a curtain which he used as a dressing-room.

2006 Church Times 13 Apr. 32/2 The Host..was placed in the Easter sepulchre, usually a recess to the north of the high altar.

†d. A cesspool. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > provision of sewers > sewage treatment > [noun] > use of cesspools or lagoons > cesspool or pit

sink1413

midden pita1425

sinkhole1456

suspiralc1512

sentine1537

dung pit1598

muck pit1598

sinker1623

bumby1632

sump1680

sump hole1754

jaw-hole1760

recess1764

cesspool1783

dead-hole1856

soil-tank1861

cesspit1864

lagoon1909

sewage lagoon1930

1764 Museum Rusticum 2 73 I..have in my yard, what you usually see in most farmers yards, two recesses or pools, as reservoirs of dung and water.

e. Any small depression or indentation.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > action of making indentation > an indentation on a surface

hollowc897

printa1387

impression1398

puncha1430

dent1565

dint1590

dinge1611

doke1615

impressurea1616

depressure1626

depression1665

dawk1678

swage1680

indent1690

sinking1712

dunkle1788

indenture1793

delve1811

subsidation1838

indention1839

recess1839

indentation1847

incavation1852

deepening1859

sink1875

malleation1881

ding1922

1839 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) i. ii. 135 Leaves..divided more or less deeply into lobes, which leave void spaces between them, which we call recesses (sinus).

1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. i. iii. 161 When a lyrate leaf has but one deep recess on each side,..it is termed panduriform or fiddle-shaped.

1902 P. Marshall Metal Working Tools 49 The cutting edges..on either side of the pin produce the required recess as the drill is fed down.

1983 J. S. Foster Struct. & Fabric (rev. ed.) I. iii. 160/2 The recess to accommodate the beam at the head of a standard column..is extended.

2006 Build It May 79/1 Plain tiles are small flat tiles, with..a slight camber and a recess at the back.

f. Criminals' slang. Usually in plural. The room containing communal lavatories in a prison.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > in a prison

recess1950

1950 P. Tempest Lag's Lexicon 177 Recess, the lavatory and urinal, which are generally situated in a recess (two cells knocked into one).

1974 Observer 10 Feb. (Colour Suppl.) 17/1 Locked in their cells at 5.30., with one opening later to go to the recesses (lavatories) and to have a hot drink.

1988 Independent 15 Oct. (Mag.) 28/2 The recess is the area in the prison where inmates empty their slopbuckets.

2000 C. Bronson Legends iii. 103 Sutcliffe was in the recess slopping his piss pot out when Jock gave it to him with a coffee jar.

g. Short for recess printing n. at Compounds 2. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [noun] > others

stereotype1800

typolithography1825

fluorography1840

glyphography1843

photoprocess1875

process work1881

recess printing1887

process engraving1889

screening1894

rotogravure1913

offset printing1915

thermography1928

electrography1953

flexography1954

recess1958

impact printing1966

1958 Amer. Philatelist 71 68 Produced by recess and photogravure, by Post Printing Office, Prague, in sheets of fifty for the four lower values.

1971 D. Potter Brit. Elizabethan Stamps iii. 36 This different-size stamp, printed by recess, interrupted the unity of the set.

Compounds

C1.

a. In sense 5a, as recess time, recess period, etc.

ΚΠ

1869 H. B. Stowe Oldtown Folks xxxiii. 431 At recess-time she strolled out with me into the pine woods back of the school-house.

1885 S. O. Jewett Marsh Island xii The boarder had..treated the children to apples at recess-time.

1946 G. Wilson Fidelity Folks iii. 84 A half dozen biscuits soaked in it ought to keep starvation away until recess time.

1983 A. M. Klein in M. Waddington Canad. Jewish Short Stories (1990) 23 At recess periods..while Jeshurun already nibbled matzoh, we discussed the Egyptian afflictions.

1991 Governing Dec. 43/3 Jennifer is still slower in class. She can't run as fast, or hit as far in recess ball games.

b. In senses 8c, 8e, as recess bed, recess curtain, etc.

ΚΠ

1828 Lights & Shades Eng. Life II. 170 We hurried into one of the little recess shops [on Brighton Pier] to avoid them.

1851 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. xxiv. 271 Recess decoration by leaf mouldings.

1874 S. J. P. Thearle Naval Archit. (new ed.) I. 88 The armour shelf or recess plate is a part of the longitudinal framing of the ship.

1957 D. K. Haynes in Saltire Rev. Winter 15 Beyond the recess curtains she could see the fireplace.

1981 E. K. Blankenbaker Mod. Plumbing ix. 128/1 A tub full of water weighs several hundred pounds. A recess tub generally requires blocking next to the wall to support the edge of the tub.

1990 in J. Faley Up oor Close ii. 42 My father and mother were in the recess bed, my sister was in a wee bed chair, and I was in a cot.

C2.

recess-print v. transitive (usually as past participle) to print (a stamp) using the recess printing method.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [verb (transitive)] > print by other specific processes

logograph1843

screen1877

recess-print1919

rescreen1967

1919 Times 31 July 15/3 A small portrait of the King on a shield appears in the upper right-hand corner of the design, which is in large format and recess printed in dark green.

1930 Times Educ. Suppl. 26 July p. iv/1 All [stamps] are recess-printed in designs appropriate to the occasion.

1976 Times 30 Aug. 6/7 The first issue, containing a finely drawn head of Queen Victoria..and recess printed by Bradbury Wilkinson.

1993 Gibbons Stamp Monthly Jan. 32/1 The four high values of 1r., 2r., 5r., and 10r. were..recess printed (line engraved) by De La Rue.

2001 B. Maitland Chalon Heads iv. 189 The stamps were recess printed in London by Perkins Bacon Limited.

recess printing n. a method of printing in which the design is cut into the printing surface; line engraving.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [noun] > others

stereotype1800

typolithography1825

fluorography1840

glyphography1843

photoprocess1875

process work1881

recess printing1887

process engraving1889

screening1894

rotogravure1913

offset printing1915

thermography1928

electrography1953

flexography1954

recess1958

impact printing1966

1887 Times 1 Jan. 9/4 The Committee..had to consider the merits of ‘recess printing’, the mode first employed, and ‘surface printing’, that used now, and many other abstruse points.

1914 A. B. Creeke Stamp-collecting iii. 66 Recess-printing. The design is cut into the plate, and the ink stands up slightly on the stamp.

1929 K. B. Stiles Stamps 210 The engraved-plate method is known to collectors as recess printing, for the reason that recesses, or indentations, appear in the plate's surface.

1961 Amer. Philatelist 74 671 The paper was dampened for recess printing and, consequently, expanded and then contracted on drying after printing.

2001 B. Maitland Chalon Heads iv. 64 The original plate was engraved by a man called Alfred Jones, using the recess printing or direct-plate printing method.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	recess
释义	recessn. Brit. /rᵻˈsɛs/, /ˈriːsɛs/, U.S. /ˈriˌsɛs/, /rəˈsɛs/, /riˈsɛs/ Forms: 1500s–1600s recesse, 1600s recease, 1600s– recess, 1900s– reecess (irregular); Scottish pre-1700 reces, pre-1700 recesse, 1700s– recess. Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin recessus. Etymology: < classical Latin recessus action of going back, retreat, withdrawal, seclusion, recessed formation or arrangement, receding part, depression, indentation of the sea, retired or inner part, remote part, place of withdrawal, secluded place, retreat, refuge, in post-classical Latin also mystery, secret (c400), resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire (so called as passed by a meeting when about to dissolve) (13th cent.) < recēdere recede v.¹ + -tus, suffix forming verbal nouns. With the sense development compare also Middle French, French recès break, pause (14th cent.; from 12th cent. in Anglo-Norman and Old French in sense ‘hiding place, hollow’), ebbing of the tide (c1400), departure (c1450), diminution (1545), resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire or the Hanseatic League (1551), school vacation, break between school classes (1611 in Cotgrave). Compare also Catalan recés (14th cent.), Spanish receso (first half of the 16th cent.), Portuguese recesso (1561), Italian recesso (14th cent.).In sense 1b perhaps originally after Italian recesso (compare quots. 1620 and 1676 at that sense). 1. †a. An agreement; a treaty. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > [noun] > cessation from hostile proceedings truce1377 recess1516 truce1560 armistice1736 pax1843 cool1958 1516 in T. Thomson Coll. Inventories Royal Wardrobe (1815) 22 Efter the forme and tenor of the recesse maid be ambaxiatouris of this realme, and procuratouris and commissionaris of Ingland thairapoun. a1538 A. Abell Roit or Quheill of Tyme f. 22^v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Reces Mony othir batellis eftir reces of Wespasioun he straik aganis the Romanis. b. A resolution or decree of the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire or the Hanseatic League. Now historical. ΘΚΠ society > law > [noun] > edict, decree, ordinance, or institute > German or Hanseatic recess1620 1620 N. Brent tr. P. Sarpi Hist. Councel of Trent viii. 753 The Imperialists receiued commission from their Prince, to mediate..with the Legats, that..mention might not be made of the Recesses [It. recessi] of the Diets in Germanie. 1676 Earl of Monmouth & W. Brent tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. France ix. 476 At the time of publishing of the Recesse [It. Recesso] in the Great Hall, the Emperour obliged himself to maintain sincerely all that was agreed on. 1706 tr. L. E. Du Pin New Eccl. Hist. 16th Cent. II. iii. xi. 149 The Recess [Fr. Recés] was published: It contained the following Articles. [Note What we call an Act of Parliament in England is called a Recess in Germany.] 1779 Hist. Mod. Europe II. lix. 254 The famous Recess of Augsburgh, which is the basis of religious peace in Germany. 1853 L. Duff-Gordon tr. L. von Ranke Ferd. & Maxim. ix. 82 He opposed a formal recusation to the recess of Frankfurt. 1882 P. Schaff et al. Relig. Encycl. I. 638 When the three colleges [of a diet] agreed, the decree, or recess as it was called, was submitted to the imperial sanction. 1924 R. B. Mowat Diplom. Napoleon 109 The plan was the basis of the Recess drafted by the Imperial Deputation at Ratisbon. 2005 F. C. Schneid Napoleon's Conquest Of Europe xi. 133 Friedrich-August acquired some lands from the Imperial Recess in 1803. †c. Law. In Canon Law: any one of the stages in a court case. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 275 In the Imperial Chamber the Proctors have half a Florin..for every Substantial Recess, as they call it. 1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 275 The substantial Recesses are the Introduction of the Cause, the exhibiting of the Libel, [etc.]. 2. The action or an act of withdrawal or receding. Frequently in access and recess. †a. Withdrawing or departure (from or to a place); an instance of this. Also in extended use. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > [noun] departing?c1225 partingc1300 withdrawingc1315 departc1330 wendingc1330 outpassinga1387 goinga1400 discessc1425 departisona1450 departmentc1450 going awayc1450 departition1470 departurec1515 recess1531 avoidance1563 parture1567 waygate1575 departance1579 exit1596 remotion1608 voiding1612 recession1630 recedence1641 recede1649 partment1663 recedure1712 leaving1719 off-going1727 quittance1757 departal1823 pull-out1825 pull-awaya1829 society > travel > aspects of travel > departure, leaving, or going away > [noun] departing?c1225 partingc1300 departc1330 wendingc1330 going-outc1350 goinga1400 discessc1425 departisona1450 departmentc1450 departition1470 departurec1515 recess1531 avoidance1563 parture1567 waygate1575 departance1579 remotion1608 voiding1612 recede1649 partment1663 leaving1719 off-going1727 quittance1757 departal1823 waying1922 1531 King Henry VIII in State Papers Henry VIII (1836) IV. 576 Ye write unto Us of the recesse ande departing of our and your Commissioners. 1536 in Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Reformation Church Eng. (1825) III. ii. 138 His Recesse from the Church, ye proffe not otherwise, than by the..Comon Opinion of those Parts. 1538 T. Cromwell Let. 13 July in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 147 He may haue free accesse and recesse from tyme to tyme. 1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 266 They haue easie accesse and recesse to and fro to their beguiling nets. 1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxviii. 216 The sudden recess of the Air made the bubbles..appear..numerous. 1692 T. Wagstaffe Vindic. King Charles v. 58 Not only Petition the King,..but upon his recess from Whitehall, send him a Peremptory Petition. 1724 J. Henley et al. tr. Pliny the Younger Epist. & Panegyrick I. p. xx His Recess was frequent to his Laurentine and Tuscan Villas. a1851 D. M. Moir Poet. Wks. (1852) II. 159 (note) With free access to and recess from the same [quarries] by the sea. †b. With reference to an immaterial thing: a (temporary) withdrawal; departure; diminution; abatement. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > backward movement > [noun] > retiring, withdrawing, or retreating recoilc1330 retreata1393 subtraction?a1425 back-drawing1535 retirement1536 retiring1548 retraict1550 recess1561 retire1570 retiral1611 subducing1633 retiration1637 withdrawment1640 retirance1662 retreating1664 retraction1684 retreatment1721 withdrawal1824 back-pedalling1950 1561 H. Becher tr. Vocation & Callyng All Nations i. iv. sig. E(ii) In a certayne traunce or recesse of his mynde, he had powred foorth these misteries of Goddes workes. ?1590 W. Perkins Treat. Damnation 281 As long as they liue in this world according to their own feeling, there is an accesse and recesse of the spirit. 1620 T. Granger Syntagma Logicum 109 It is the defect, and recesse of the opposite facultie. 1646 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. F. Biondi Hist. Civil Warres Eng. II. vi. 60 Leaving her in the recesse of her Fortune. 1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 235 The principal Recess of this Infection..was from February to April. 1785 T. Jefferson Notes Virginia vii. 146 The access of frost in the autumn, and its recess in the spring. 1847 J. Martineau Endeavours Christian Life II. xxi. 345 Painting the access and recess of his thought. c. With reference to a natural phenomenon, as water, the sea, the planets, etc.: the action or an act of withdrawing or receding (from a certain point). Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > [noun] > going away specifically of a thing recess1577 1577 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Islande Brit. i. x. f. 29/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I Linnes, and huge pooles, or such lowe bottomes, fedde with springes, as seeme to haue no accesse, but onelye recesse of waters. 1607 J. Norden Surueyors Dialogue i. 19 Alwayes at the waters recesse, euery man could finde out his owne land by the plot. 1653 T. Gataker Vindic. Annot. Jer. 10.2 157 The accesse or recesse of the Sun unto and from several parts of the world. 1695 J. Woodward Ess. Nat. Hist. Earth 254 The Sea, by this Access and Recess, shuffling the empty Shells. 1728 H. Pemberton View Sir I. Newton's Philos. 202 As the earth in its recess from the sun recovers by degrees its former power. 1757 E. Burke Philos. Enq. Sublime & Beautiful iv. §16. 144 As we recede from the light..the pupil is enlarged by the retiring of the iris, in proportion to our recess. 1818 G. S. Faber Horæ Mosaicæ (ed. 2) I. 266 It is at present dry, in consequence of the gradual recess of the waters. 1835 M. Somerville On Connexion Physical Sci. (ed. 2) iii. 22 These fluctuations, owing to the tangential force, occasion an alternate recess and advance of the apsides. 1909 F. J. Snell Handbk. to Wks. Dante 358 The Sacred Poem, with its alternate rhyming, which may be compared to the surge and recess of the waves. 1958 L. Thorndike Hist. Magic & Exper. Sci. VII. ii. 25 Kepler distinguished three chief physical causes by which the heavenly bodies acted... First and most potent was the access and recess of the sun. †3. a. As a mass noun: seclusion, privacy; retirement. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] privity?c1225 recess?1532 retiredness1601 privacy1602 retirement1603 purdah1865 society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] privity?c1225 reclusionc1430 abstractionc1450 recess?1532 privacy1534 solitariousness1545 retirea1554 secess1570 privatenessa1586 retirednessa1586 retirement1603 secrecy1607 closeness1612 shadow1612 privatea1616 recluseness1648 abstractednessa1653 recluse1665 abscondence1694 seclusion1785 seclusiveness1822 retiracy1824 secludedness1835 retraite1843 ?1532 T. Paynell tr. Erasmus De Contemptu Mundi x. sig. K.ii The pleasant recesse or solytarynes of the place is the cause of sylence. 1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing xii. 110 For the prevention of such inconveniences in meditation, we choose recess and solitude. a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 401 Faire parks or Gardens..being onely places of Recesse & pleasure. 1709 M. Prior Cloe Hunting 16 Ev'ry neighbouring Grove Sacred to soft Recess and gentle Love. 1768 Woman of Honor II. 208 I had chosen..my Aunt Clifford's..there to remain in recess for some time. 1801 Public Char. 1800–01 207 We find a man, in recess from public duty, capable of exploring the wilds of nature. b. An act of withdrawing from society, public life, etc.; the fact of living in seclusion or retirement. Also: a period of seclusion or retirement. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > [noun] > the or an act of retiring1548 retreat1589 secession1604 decession1606 retirement1606 seclusion1623 recessa1639 secesh1863 society > authority > office > withdrawing from or vacating office > [noun] > the or an act of recess1763 a1639 H. Wotton Parallel betweene Earle of Essex & Duke of Buckingham (1641) 3 It brake forth into certayne suddaine recesses; sometimes from the Court to Wansteed, other whiles unto Greenewitch. a1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1645 (1955) II. 326 Famous for the debauch'd recesses of Tiberius. 1700 J. Dryden To Dutchess of Ormond in Fables sig. A5 The soft Recesses of Your Hours improve The Three fair Pledges of Your Happy Love. 1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 194 During my Recess at St. Jones's I receiv'd a very obliging Letter from him. 1763 Ann. Reg. 1762 ii. 2 During his recess..he lost nothing of his..respect for the king. 1815 Sporting Mag. 46 152 The interesting Miss Foote passes some part of her recess from Covent-Garden Theatre with her friends and relatives in Dorset and Devonshire. †4. In extended and figurative uses. a. A dislike or disgust for a thing. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > [noun] loathc1175 unlikinga1398 mislovinga1500 scunner?a1513 misliking1563 recess1567 mislikea1569 quarrel1579 underliking1581 ill liking1586 disaffection1599 dyspathy1603 exception1604 aversation1612 disrelish1613 unrelishness1615 misaffection1621 averseness1622 distastefulnessa1625 disaffectedness1625 disrelishing1692 eloinmenta1763 unwantedness1955 1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 26 It becommeth to haue an appitite to that which it holdeth good and pleasant, and a recesse or lothsomnesse to y^t which maketh against it. b. A drawing back (from a promise). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > non-observance or breach > [noun] borrow-breacha900 brucheOE breacha1382 violation1433 rupture1439 non-observance1453 misobservance1496 violating1523 swerving1545 infringinga1575 inobservation1579 recess1601 inobservancea1626 infringement1628 misobservancy1637 egression1651 nonconformity1653 unobservance1654 brack1658 infraction1673 violence1743 non-conformance1786 inobservancy1824 1601 J. Wheeler Treat. Commerce 96 Queene Marie by the way of Recesse..reuoked this Decree, and restored the Hanses to their former priuiledges. 1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xlii. 125 Some..admit of an absolute recesse from a word already passed. c. A departure from some state or standard. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > [noun] > avoiding an action or condition > turning aside from a course of action divagation1560 swaya1586 deviation1603 deflection1605 recess1605 recession1614 exit1615 non-residence1615 exorbitancy1623 exorbitancea1628 exorbitationa1628 aberrancy1646 aberrance1661 variationa1662 departurea1694 resilience1838 1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Gg4 Men..haue made too untimely a departure, and too remote a recesse from particulars. View more context for this quotation 1661 R. Lovell Πανζωορυκτολογια, sive Panzoologicomineralogia 430 Recesses of the parts of mans body, from the natural state. 1692 T. Beverley Concil. Disc. Dr. Crisp's Serm. 7 Every Sin..is a Recess from the Holiness of God. 1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 214 A more retir'd recoyle and recess of their..Devotionary Calls. d. A falling back; decline. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > badness or evil > relapse > [noun] again-falling1340 regressa1522 retrogration1567 regression1583 retrogradationa1609 reincidency1622 recess1641 retrogation1646 setback1669 retrogress1701 retrogression1757 backwarding1765 fallback1830 throwback1856 regressivity1890 the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > decrease in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (intransitive)] > decline or fall off afalleOE swindOE slakec1315 pairc1390 fade1398 to fall awayc1510 decline1530 to fall off1608 sink1613 recess1641 fail1819 lighten1827 1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. F^v Others, that when he was in the right course of recovery, settling to moderation, would not suffer a Recease in him. 1659 J. Harrington Art of Law-giving iii. iv. 95 This standard in a well-founded Monarchy, must bar recess; and in a well-founded Commonwealth must bar increase. a1680 J. Harrington Horae Consecratae (1682) 395 Such was my two last Sicknesses, Deaths prelude, and a long recess Of Health. 5. Temporary suspension of work or activity. †a. An interruption, an interlude; delay; respite. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > untimeliness > delay or postponement > [noun] longingeOE bideOE abodec1225 bodea1300 demura1300 dwella1300 litinga1300 delayc1300 delayingc1300 demurrancec1300 but honec1325 without ensoignec1325 abidec1330 dretchingc1330 dwellingc1330 essoinc1330 tarrying1340 litea1350 delaymenta1393 respitea1393 oversettinga1398 delayancea1400 delitea1400 lingeringa1400 stounding?a1400 sunyiea1400 targea1400 train?a1400 deferring14.. dilation14.. dayc1405 prolongingc1425 spacec1430 adjourningc1436 retardationc1437 prolongation?a1439 training1440 adjournment1445 sleuthingc1450 tarry1451 tarriance1460 prorogation1476 oversetc1485 tarriage1488 debaid1489 supersedement1492 superseding1494 off-putting1496 postponing1496 tract1503 dilating1509 sparinga1513 hafting1519 sufferance1523 tracking1524 sticking1525 stay1530 pause1532 protraction1535 tracting1535 protract of time1536 protracting1540 postposition1546 staying1546 procrastination1548 difference1559 surceasing1560 tardation1568 detract1570 detracting1572 tarryment1575 rejourning1578 detraction1579 longness1579 rejournment1579 holding1581 reprieving1583 cunctation1585 retarding1585 retardance1586 temporizing1587 by and by1591 suspensea1592 procrastinatinga1594 tardance1595 linger1597 forslacking1600 morrowing1602 recess1603 deferment1612 attendance1614 put-off1623 adjournal1627 fristing1637 hanging-up1638 retardment1640 dilatoriness1642 suspension1645 stickagea1647 tardidation1647 transtemporation1651 demurragea1656 prolatation1656 prolation1656 moration1658 perendination1658 offput1730 retardure1751 postponement1757 retard1781 traverse1799 tarrowing1832 mañana1845 temporization1888 procrastinativeness1893 deferral1895 traa dy liooar1897 stalling1927 heel-tapping1949 off-put1970 1603 in T. Rymer & R. Sanderson Fœdera (1715) XVI. 494/1 That..you make a Recesse and Suspention of your Negotiation untill you shall have further Warrant..from our said Soveraigne Lord. 1622 J. Reynolds Triumphs Gods Revenge: 2nd Bk. vi. 4 After the protraction and recesse of a yeeres time, Victoryna consenteth to Sypontus to be his wife. 1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 177 On both sides they made rather a kind of Recesse, then a Breach of Treaty, and concluded vpon a Truce for some moneths following. 1706 D. Defoe Jure Divino x. 17 The small Recess the weary Land obtain'd; So little Breath to rising Freedom gave. 1728 J. Ralph Touch-stone 12 They have kept their Ground, against all vain Attempts to dislodge them; only allowing for some small Recesses for breathing Time. b. A period of time in which the proceedings of a parliament, court, or other official body are suspended or adjourned. Also (now chiefly North American): a break between school classes, typically used for loosely organized recreational activities. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [noun] > a period of leisurec1449 non-terminus1573 Sabbatism1582 non-term1607 recess1620 playtime1631 by-hour1639 vacancy1654 relache1780 lounge1806 spellc1845 pink-eye1901 seventh-inning stretch1915 standoff1918 timeout1931 the world > action or operation > ceasing > temporary cessation of activity or operation > [noun] steadc1000 leathc1175 abiding1340 broklinga1400 pausation1422 pausing1440 interceasingc1450 suspensing?1504 suspending1524 intermission1526 leathing1535 suspensationc1571 intercession1572 suspense1584 abeyance1593 suspension1603 recession1606 interruption1607 recess1620 intercision1625 intercessation1659 intermittency1662 pretermission1677 break1689 cess1703 intermittence1796 society > education > educational administration > school administration > [noun] > holidays recess1797 1620 Orig. Jrnls. House of Lords 22 Mar. 9 84 They [sc. the Commons] humblie desire to knowe the tyme of the recesse of this parliam^t, and of the accesse againe. a1671 T. Fairfax Short Mem. (1699) 22 In this recess of action, we had several treaties about prisoners. 1706 Royal Speech 16 Feb. in London Gaz. No. 4202/1 It will be convenient to make a Recess in some short Time. 1797 A. M. Bennett Beggar Girl II. iv. 70 Every recess of the school they passed at Mushroom-place. 1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre II. ii. 35 After the Easter recess, Sir George Lynn, who was lately elected member for Millcote, will have to go up to town and take his seat. 1861 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner xxvi. 305 In the recess, as it was called, or interval of suspended studies in the middle of the forenoon. 1881 W. E. Gladstone in Times 8 Oct. 6/3 We are in a Parliamentary recess, but the leaders of the Tories do not appear to have had any recess at all. 1913 A. Huxley Let. 3 Feb. (1969) 47 I had a very good vacation, or do you call it Ree-cess?, as one (female) American asked me. 1954 D. Du Maurier Mary Anne 301 It was just as well the House would soon rise for the summer recess. 1975 Weekend Mag. (Montreal) 1 Nov. 22/1 I watched him carefully as he won game after game at recess one day. 2007 New Scientist 1 Sept. 50/1 The excitement of a child released for recess. †c. Without article: relaxation, leisure. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [noun] restingOE leisure13.. voidnessa1382 remissionc1384 vacationc1386 ease1393 otiosity1483 holiday1526 otiation1589 idlesse1596 vacance1610 playa1616 vacancya1616 remissness1624 recess1644 otium cum dignitate1729 dolce far niente1814 disoccupation1834 otium1850 non-work1855 kef1864 toillessness1877 1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia Ep. Ded. sig. A3^v Having intentionally consecrated all the issues of my recesse and leisure to certaine select Friends. 1659 J. Shirley Honoria & Mammon To Rdr. sig. A3 Applying my self further, at times of recess. 1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. iv. 159 A Love of moderate Recess and Rest from Action. 1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 215 His hours of leisure and recess employs In drawing pictures of forbidden joys. 6. Any one of the most remote or innermost parts or corners of a thing; a hidden place. a. In plural. With reference to the soul, heart, brain, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] > inward or hidden thoughts, etc. the bird in one's (also the) bosom1548 bosom1600 underthought1602 recess1605 arrière-pensée1617 sanctuary1642 the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > seat of the emotions > [noun] > breast or heart > inmost heart or bottom of heart groundc1175 heart-roota1200 roota1200 heartstring1533 heart of hearts1604 heart's core1604 recess1605 1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Bbb1 Momus..seeing in the frame of mans heart, such Angles and recesses, founde fault there was not a windowe to looke into them. View more context for this quotation 1643 J. Caryl Expos. 3 First Chaps. Iob 419 How they may get themselves a name and riches,..the most retired thoughts and recesses of the soule are about these things. 1694 R. South 12 Serm. II. 409 Sorrow..must force, and make its way into the very inmost Corners, and Recesses of the Soul. 1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. i. 711 The Thoughts that roll Deep in the close Recesses of my Soul. 1799 J. Fiévée Suzette’s Dowry 9 My brother had avoided letting me see into the recesses of his soul. 1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision I. i. 18 The fear, That in my heart's recesses deep had lain. 1840 J. S. Mill Diss. & Disc. (1875) I. 408 The question lies..in the recesses of psychology. 1904 F. Rolfe Hadrian VII iii. 87 He withdrew His sensibilities from the surface; and concentrated them in the inmost recesses of his soul, foreseeing, forescheming. 1979 A. Storr Art of Psychotherapy vii. 59 Most of the traits we most deplore in others have their place within the recesses of our own psyches. 1990 A. Stevens On Jung i. 5 He, the individual man, was able to reveal the universal man lurking in the dark recesses of his own soul. 2004 Time Out N.Y. 2 Dec. 117/4 The band's sound..jackhammered an impression in the dark recesses of your consciousness. b. With reference to a building, natural feature, etc. Frequently in plural. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > [noun] > less prominent position recess1616 background1781 the world > space > relative position > condition of being internal > [noun] > that which is within > interior part(s) > innermost part inmosta1050 highestlOE depth1382 intestinea1533 bottom1587 penetral1589 deep1609 recess1616 recessora1637 intime1657 intrinsic1665 penetralia1668 innermost1674 1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor Recesse, a bye-place. 1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 224 Gentlemens houses..having more in the recess than they promise in the front. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 140 Within a Mountain's hollow Womb, there lies A large Recess, conceal'd from Human Eyes. View more context for this quotation 1755 J. Hervey Theron & Aspasio II. ix. 3 Over this Recess, so pleasingly horrid..arose an open and airy Belvidere. 1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. vi. 143 To carry torches into every recess of the ruin. 1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod Introd. 4 A pursuit..only requisite in the gloomy recesses of the cloister. 1871 L. Stephen Playground of Europe ii. 88 The little village..lies..deep in the recesses of the Pennine chain. 1921 L. Strachey Queen Victoria iii. 55 In the recesses of the palace her mysterious figure was at once invisible and omnipresent. 1931 H. Read Meaning of Art ii. 44 We look back into the past and see art and religion emerging hand in hand from the dim recesses of pre-history. 1987 R. Berthoud Life Henry Moore vii. 132 Since the Ice Age that same fascination has lured man into the innermost recesses of the earth. 2002 T. D. Hidier Born Confused iv. 27 She would have had to have reached into the deepest recesses of my closet. 7. a. A remote and secluded spot, a secret or private place. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > place > [noun] > set apart or out of the way anglea1325 nooka1425 retreatc1500 odd corner1576 recess1611 off-corner1793 cubby1868 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > a secret place, hiding place > [noun] hidelsc975 hidela1300 bushc1330 hulkc1330 derna1340 tapissinga1340 coverta1375 hiding1382 loting-placea1398 cover14.. hiding placec1440 mewa1450 closetc1450 hole1483 cure1502 secret1530 shrouding place1571 ivy-bush1576 coney burrowa1586 hidlings1597 foxhole1606 shrouding corner1610 recess1611 subterfuge1616 latibule1623 latebra1626 blind1646 privacy1648 hide1649 retreat1697 rathole1770 hidey-hole1817 tod hole1846 hulster1880 hideout1885 cwtch1890 castle1898 lurk1906 stash1927 hideaway1930 society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > secluded place or place of seclusion > [noun] wroa1300 recluse1474 reclusage1480 retreatc1500 retire1595 rendezvous1598 retirement1603 recess1611 shadea1616 Jericho1635 privacy1648 sequesterment1778 seclusion1791 retraite1814 backwater1820 hideaway1930 1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. vi. xiv. 214/1 Wee haue hitherto liued in libertie, whereas none beside vs are free; vs hitherto this Corner and secret recesse hath defended. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ix. 456 This flourie Plat, the sweet recess of Eve. View more context for this quotation 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 199 Airy and cool Choultries, private Recesses for their Women. 1724 J. Henley et al. tr. Pliny the Younger Epist. & Panegyrick I. ii. xvii. 97 Do not you think that I have just Reason to frequent, to inhabit, to love this Recess? 1784 R. Bage Barham Downs II. 250 A woman..who had been housekeeper at Lord Winterbottom's recess. 1831 C. Lamb Ellistoniana in Englishman's Mag. Aug. The last retreat, and recess, of his every-day waning grandeur. 1921 J. Galsworthy To Let 15 His cousin June—and coming straight to his recess! †b. A hidden part, a secret. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > [noun] > something concealed, a secret derna1000 counsel1377 secrec1386 dernheada1400 secretnessc1425 secrecyc1450 secret1450 concealment1598 reservation1612 cabal1631 recess1646 occult1648 reserve1680 state secret1822 reserving1844 inédit1910 1646 J. Gregory Notes & Observ. ii. 6 To cast out Devills (by a knowne Recesse of the blacke Art) through him that is the Prince. 1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar iv. 52 Magnifying the recesses of his Counsell and Wisdome and Predestination. 8. a. A receding part or indentation in the line of some natural feature or object, such as a rock, coastline, mountain range, etc. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > land > land mass > shore or bank > bend in coast > [noun] bought1480 bight1481 recess1651 plait1828 the world > the earth > land > landscape > [noun] > landform > indented recess1651 creek1652 the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > a receding part bay1582 recess1651 niche1662 shoulder1669 retirement1726 1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. v. 52 The Sun, the great eye of the world, prying into the recesses of rocks, and the hollownesse of valleys. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 208 Within a long Recess there lies a Bay [L. est in secessu longo locus]. 1781 W. Cowper Truth 79 His dwelling a recess in some rude rock. 1837 J. R. McCulloch Statist. Acct. Brit. Empire I. i. ii. 255 The recesses between the hills are mostly filled with gentlemen's seats. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxiv. 193 The cavernous recess of its cliffs. 1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness in Youth i. 75 Brought from all the recesses of the coast. 1952 J. J. Simons Jerusalem in Old Test. 178 It ends in a natural wedge-shaped recess of the rock, partly covered with stones. b. Anatomy and Zoology. A depression, cavity, pocket, or indentation. Frequently with distinguishing word, typically indicating the location of the recess. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > shape > [noun] > bend or fold folda1250 plight1543 duplication1578 reduplication1578 sinus1615 plica1660 recess1666 duplicature1683 reduplicature1698 geniculum1701 genu1854 infraction1882 uncinate1891 1666 Philos. Trans. 1665–6 (Royal Soc.) 1 177 He..found the recesses of the Gills so form'd, that the water..being let out by these dores, cannot by them re-enter. 1684 S. Pordage tr. T. Willis Two Disc. conc. Soul of Brutes in Pract. Physick (rev. ed.) 63 As the Tongue is very versatile, it takes in with delight the Savours from every corner or recess of the Mouth. 1714 Treat. Dis. Head, Brain & Nerves (ed. 2) viii. 46 The seat of an Apoplexy is without doubt in the more inward recess of the Brain, to wit, the Corpus Callosum. 1757 C. N. Jenty Course Anatomico-physiol. Lect. III. v. 91 It is partly thought to proceed from a Gland seated in a Recess of the Orbit of the Os Frontis. 1802 W. Paley Nat. Theol. viii. 126 The concave recess of the bone formed by the extuberances on each side. 1887 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. V. 606 The little pocket which lies behind this (duodeno-jejunal recess). 1949 H. Bailey Demonstr. Physical Signs Clin. Surg. (ed. 11) xiv. 149 More than once a stony-hard mass in this deep recess beneath the clavicle has proved to be..an ecchondroma. 1989 Jrnl. Paleontol. 63 370/2 Most notable is a deep recess between the head of the femur and the greater trochanter. 2001 N. Jones Rough Guide Trav. Health ii. 336 The mite..tends to seek out natural recesses such as between the fingers, armpits, the groin or in skin creases. c. spec. A space set back in a wall; a niche or alcove. ΘΚΠ society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > wall of building > [noun] > recess in wall bay1428 receipt1562 recess1678 alcove1730 ingoing1859 1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Alcove, a recess within a chamber for the setting of a Bed out of the way. 1742 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 3) II. 122 Whether..the Recesses or Panels in the Wall be curiously painted, or only plaister'd. 1774 Act 14 Geo. III c. 78 §28 It shall also be lawful to cut perpendicular Recesses into any Party-wall. 1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. iii. 87 The recesses within them [sc. oriel windows] were raised a step or two from the wall. 1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xlviii. 211 They sat down in one of the recesses on the bridge, to rest. 1875 Mrs. Ritchie Miss Angel x. 90 The gallery was evidently used as a..sitting room. There was a spinnet in a recess. 1914 J. M. Barrie Admirable Crichton iii. 125 Deep recesses half way up the walls contain various provender in barrels and sacks. 1947 M. Lowry Under Volcano vii. 221 He came out of the shower and into another little recess screened by a curtain which he used as a dressing-room. 2006 Church Times 13 Apr. 32/2 The Host..was placed in the Easter sepulchre, usually a recess to the north of the high altar. †d. A cesspool. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > provision of sewers > sewage treatment > [noun] > use of cesspools or lagoons > cesspool or pit sink1413 midden pita1425 sinkhole1456 suspiralc1512 sentine1537 dung pit1598 muck pit1598 sinker1623 bumby1632 sump1680 sump hole1754 jaw-hole1760 recess1764 cesspool1783 dead-hole1856 soil-tank1861 cesspit1864 lagoon1909 sewage lagoon1930 1764 Museum Rusticum 2 73 I..have in my yard, what you usually see in most farmers yards, two recesses or pools, as reservoirs of dung and water. e. Any small depression or indentation. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > action of making indentation > an indentation on a surface hollowc897 printa1387 impression1398 puncha1430 dent1565 dint1590 dinge1611 doke1615 impressurea1616 depressure1626 depression1665 dawk1678 swage1680 indent1690 sinking1712 dunkle1788 indenture1793 delve1811 subsidation1838 indention1839 recess1839 indentation1847 incavation1852 deepening1859 sink1875 malleation1881 ding1922 1839 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) i. ii. 135 Leaves..divided more or less deeply into lobes, which leave void spaces between them, which we call recesses (sinus). 1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. i. iii. 161 When a lyrate leaf has but one deep recess on each side,..it is termed panduriform or fiddle-shaped. 1902 P. Marshall Metal Working Tools 49 The cutting edges..on either side of the pin produce the required recess as the drill is fed down. 1983 J. S. Foster Struct. & Fabric (rev. ed.) I. iii. 160/2 The recess to accommodate the beam at the head of a standard column..is extended. 2006 Build It May 79/1 Plain tiles are small flat tiles, with..a slight camber and a recess at the back. f. Criminals' slang. Usually in plural. The room containing communal lavatories in a prison. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > sanitation > privy or latrine > [noun] > water-closet or lavatory > in a prison recess1950 1950 P. Tempest Lag's Lexicon 177 Recess, the lavatory and urinal, which are generally situated in a recess (two cells knocked into one). 1974 Observer 10 Feb. (Colour Suppl.) 17/1 Locked in their cells at 5.30., with one opening later to go to the recesses (lavatories) and to have a hot drink. 1988 Independent 15 Oct. (Mag.) 28/2 The recess is the area in the prison where inmates empty their slopbuckets. 2000 C. Bronson Legends iii. 103 Sutcliffe was in the recess slopping his piss pot out when Jock gave it to him with a coffee jar. g. Short for recess printing n. at Compounds 2. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [noun] > others stereotype1800 typolithography1825 fluorography1840 glyphography1843 photoprocess1875 process work1881 recess printing1887 process engraving1889 screening1894 rotogravure1913 offset printing1915 thermography1928 electrography1953 flexography1954 recess1958 impact printing1966 1958 Amer. Philatelist 71 68 Produced by recess and photogravure, by Post Printing Office, Prague, in sheets of fifty for the four lower values. 1971 D. Potter Brit. Elizabethan Stamps iii. 36 This different-size stamp, printed by recess, interrupted the unity of the set. Compounds C1. a. In sense 5a, as recess time, recess period, etc. ΚΠ 1869 H. B. Stowe Oldtown Folks xxxiii. 431 At recess-time she strolled out with me into the pine woods back of the school-house. 1885 S. O. Jewett Marsh Island xii The boarder had..treated the children to apples at recess-time. 1946 G. Wilson Fidelity Folks iii. 84 A half dozen biscuits soaked in it ought to keep starvation away until recess time. 1983 A. M. Klein in M. Waddington Canad. Jewish Short Stories (1990) 23 At recess periods..while Jeshurun already nibbled matzoh, we discussed the Egyptian afflictions. 1991 Governing Dec. 43/3 Jennifer is still slower in class. She can't run as fast, or hit as far in recess ball games. b. In senses 8c, 8e, as recess bed, recess curtain, etc. ΚΠ 1828 Lights & Shades Eng. Life II. 170 We hurried into one of the little recess shops [on Brighton Pier] to avoid them. 1851 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice I. xxiv. 271 Recess decoration by leaf mouldings. 1874 S. J. P. Thearle Naval Archit. (new ed.) I. 88 The armour shelf or recess plate is a part of the longitudinal framing of the ship. 1957 D. K. Haynes in Saltire Rev. Winter 15 Beyond the recess curtains she could see the fireplace. 1981 E. K. Blankenbaker Mod. Plumbing ix. 128/1 A tub full of water weighs several hundred pounds. A recess tub generally requires blocking next to the wall to support the edge of the tub. 1990 in J. Faley Up oor Close ii. 42 My father and mother were in the recess bed, my sister was in a wee bed chair, and I was in a cot. C2. recess-print v. transitive (usually as past participle) to print (a stamp) using the recess printing method. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [verb (transitive)] > print by other specific processes logograph1843 screen1877 recess-print1919 rescreen1967 1919 Times 31 July 15/3 A small portrait of the King on a shield appears in the upper right-hand corner of the design, which is in large format and recess printed in dark green. 1930 Times Educ. Suppl. 26 July p. iv/1 All [stamps] are recess-printed in designs appropriate to the occasion. 1976 Times 30 Aug. 6/7 The first issue, containing a finely drawn head of Queen Victoria..and recess printed by Bradbury Wilkinson. 1993 Gibbons Stamp Monthly Jan. 32/1 The four high values of 1r., 2r., 5r., and 10r. were..recess printed (line engraved) by De La Rue. 2001 B. Maitland Chalon Heads iv. 189 The stamps were recess printed in London by Perkins Bacon Limited. recess printing n. a method of printing in which the design is cut into the printing surface; line engraving. ΘΚΠ society > communication > printing > specific methods or processes > [noun] > others stereotype1800 typolithography1825 fluorography1840 glyphography1843 photoprocess1875 process work1881 recess printing1887 process engraving1889 screening1894 rotogravure1913 offset printing1915 thermography1928 electrography1953 flexography1954 recess1958 impact printing1966 1887 Times 1 Jan. 9/4 The Committee..had to consider the merits of ‘recess printing’, the mode first employed, and ‘surface printing’, that used now, and many other abstruse points. 1914 A. B. Creeke Stamp-collecting iii. 66 Recess-printing. The design is cut into the plate, and the ink stands up slightly on the stamp. 1929 K. B. Stiles Stamps 210 The engraved-plate method is known to collectors as recess printing, for the reason that recesses, or indentations, appear in the plate's surface. 1961 Amer. Philatelist 74 671 The paper was dampened for recess printing and, consequently, expanded and then contracted on drying after printing. 2001 B. Maitland Chalon Heads iv. 64 The original plate was engraved by a man called Alfred Jones, using the recess printing or direct-plate printing method. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022). † recessv.¹ Forms: 1500s recest (past participle). Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin recessus, recēdere. Etymology: < classical Latin recessus, past participle of recēdere recede v.¹ Obsolete. intransitive. To recede. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > non-observance or breach > fail to observe [verb (transitive)] breakOE to-breaka1067 false1303 forleta1325 loosec1400 to fall from ——a1425 renouncec1450 violate?a1475 enfrain1477 failc1500 falsify1532 transverse1532 infringe1533 crack1576 recess1581 recant1585 digress1592 strain1592 burst1600 equivocate1629 falsy1629 forfeit1654 to break through1712 infract1798 waive1833 welsh1925 1581 J. Dee 5 Sept. in Private Diary (1842) 13 Roger Cook..thowght that he was utterly recest from intended goodnes toward him. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online December 2020). recessv.² Brit. /rᵻˈsɛs/, U.S. /ˈriˌsɛs/, /rəˈsɛs/, /riˈsɛs/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: recess n. Etymology: < recess n. 1. a. transitive. To make a recess or recesses in (a structure or object); to cut into, so as to form a recess. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > form a recess in [verb (transitive)] recess1743 1743 J. Wood Descr. Exchange of Bristol 24 The Beams are divided into square Pannels, twice recessed with inriched Mouldings. 1872 E. L. Cutts Scenes Middle Ages ii. iii. 139 In the interior the wall is recessed beside the window, with a sort of shoulder, exactly adapted to give room for a seat. 1882 Bazaar, Exchange & Mart 15 Feb. 174 The inner..hubs are recessed, within them being placed stout steel rings. 1957 Archaeol. Rep. 1956 (Soc. for Promotion Hellenic Stud.) No. 3. 26 The façade..is recessed at the centre to form a shallow portico. 2000 S. Anderson Peter Behrens & New Archit. for 20th Cent. 174 What could be a housing block with a continuous street front is recessed at the centre to provide a courtyard. b. transitive. To set (a part of a wall, or other structure) in a recess. Frequently with in(to). Occasionally used reflexively. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > form a recess in [verb (transitive)] > make recessed in recess1774 1774 J. Carter Builder's Mag. 316 Window frames, and door frames..are to be recessed in four inch reveals at least. 1845 G. Petrie Eccl. Archit. Ireland 177 The arches, of which there are two, one recessed within the other. 1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. vi. 44 Little man-of-war port-holes, recessed into its wooden sides. 1865 A. D. Whitney Gayworthys ix The window recessed itself into the wall. 1917 Bull. Metrop. Mus. Art 12 209 Recessed into the stone floor were the wooden skid poles along which the ancient undertakers had slid the coffin. 1975 M. Duffy Capital i. 44 It seems to be attempting to recess itself into an unnoticeable shadow. 1990 W. Perriam Fifty-minute Hour (1991) ii. 29 ‘Danger! high voltage,’ shrieked another larger notice, which covered a square cupboard recessed into the wall. 2006 Good Woodworking June 56/1 For even greater protection, a weatherboard should be recessed into the jambs at each end. c. transitive. gen. To set back or away; to conceal. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > privacy > make private [verb (transitive)] close1430 retire1605 imprivacya1670 recess1795 background1891 society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > retirement or seclusion > seclude [verb (transitive)] reclusea1400 sequesterc1430 withdrawa1450 sequestrate1513 solitary1581 reclude1598 seclude1629 bury1711 recess1795 backwater1885 1795 Observant Pedestrian II. 165 'Tis the first time I ever found inhumanity recessed in an English bosom. 1809 M. Edgeworth Manœuvring vii Behind the screen of his prodigious elbow you will be comfortably recessed from curious impertinents. 1820 Examiner No. 620. 132/2 The writ was then served in the expectation of recessing me in the Fleet during the long vacation. 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd I. xviii. 199 His house stood recessed from the road. 1919 G. H. Allen Great War IV. v. 119 The wide, level shore..is recessed in the foothills of the Anafarta ridge. 1962 Appraisal Terminol. & Handbk. (Amer. Inst. Real Estate Appraisers) (ed. 4) 164 The upper floors of a building are recessed, set-back, from the face of a lower structure. 1997 Bakers' Rev. Sept. 27/1 (advt.) The controls are easy to read and are recessed and protected. 2. Chiefly U.S. a. transitive. To put (a meeting, etc.) into recess (cf. recess n. 5); to adjourn, suspend. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > chair (an assembly) [verb (transitive)] > adjourn recess1844 1844 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit xxxiv. 400 When Congress is recessed, he makes himself acquainted with those free United States, of which he is the gifted son. 1921 Washington Post 13 Aug. 2/7 The meeting was recessed to convene again Wednesday night when the discussion will be continued. 1954 W. Faulkner Fable 80 It takes more ammunition to recess a war for ten minutes than to stop a mere offensive. 1978 Detroit Free Press 2 Apr. 10 a /5 Exhausted negotiators agreed to recess formal talks for the weekend and meet in private. 2003 PS 36 24/2 He indefinitely recessed the committee until his demands were met. b. intransitive. To take a recess; adjourn. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > [verb (intransitive)] > take time off recess1893 1893 Columbus (Ohio) Disp. 14 Apr. The Senate recessed five minutes yesterday afternoon. 1933 W. J. Abbot Watching World go By xvii. 316 The convention was thrown into confusion. It recessed almost in a riot. 1943 Sun (Baltimore) 12 Feb. 17/1 Tomorrow's holiday on which the country's major securities and commodities exchanges will recess. 1970 Daily Tel. 6 July 9 The French Parliament recessed for its three-month summer holiday last week. 2002 Oral Hist. Rev. 29 47 The stories..carried in the Greenville paper usually chronicled the events before the trial recessed for lunch each day. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1516v.¹1581v.²1743
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recessn.

Compounds

† recessv.1

recessv.2

† recessv.¹

recessv.²