What does recess mean?
A recess is a temporary break in an official proceeding, such as a court session, parliamentary timetable, or school day. It can also refer to a recessed part of a building: a niche, alcove, or indentation set back from a wall or other surface. The pronunciation changes with grammatical function: the noun is generally stressed on the first syllable, while the verb is stressed on the second. In legal and legislative contexts, recess usually has a formal meaning and may be scheduled in advance, such as a summer or winter recess. The word’s sense of a private or secluded area is less common but remains familiar in architectural and descriptive writing. Because it derives from the Latin verb meaning “to go back,” a recess originally suggested withdrawal, and its modern uses preserve both the ideas of stepping back and temporarily stepping away from public business.
A temporary break in the proceedings of an institution, especially a court, legislature, or school; also a recessed area or indentation.
"The hearing was adjourned until the end of the court’s summer recess."
The temporary-break sense is formal and especially associated with courts, legislatures, schools, and other organized bodies.
To take or declare a temporary break in proceedings; also, to form or occupy a recessed area.
"The legislature recessed for the summer before returning to debate the budget."
The legal and parliamentary sense is the most established; the spatial sense is also common in descriptions of architecture and design.
The plural is used for separate institutional breaks or for distinct recessed areas. In the expression “in recess,” the noun is normally used without an article and without a plural.
"The committee has scheduled two recesses before the end of the session."
From Latin for “a going back,” a recess began as the act of withdrawing before developing into today’s familiar school break, legislative pause, and wall niche.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of recess
The English word comes from Latin recessus, a noun meaning “a retreat” or “a going back” and the past participle of recedere, “to go back.” The Latin verb combines the prefix re-, meaning “back,” with cedere, “to go or yield.” The English noun developed in the sense of a period of withdrawal or interruption, while the verb came to mean “to take a recess” and, by extension, “to form a recessed place.” Related English words include recede, cede, and recession, all sharing the Latin root cedere.
Related word forms
How recess is actually used
In institutional contexts, the word is usually formal and commonly means a scheduled or officially announced break. As a verb, it is more common in legislative, legal, and parliamentary language than in everyday speech.
Easily confused with recess
As a noun, the word is pronounced with stress on the first syllable; as a verb, the stress falls on the second syllable.
A recess is an official or formal break in proceedings, whereas a respite is a temporary period of relief or delay.