A withdrawing or retiring; a moving back; as the recess of the tides.

A withdrawing from public business or notice; retreat; retirement. My recess hath given them confidence that I may be conquered. And every neighboring grove sacred to soft recess and gentle love.

Departure.

Place of retirement or secrecy; private abode. This happy place, our sweet recess.

State of retirement; as lords in close recess. In the recess of the jury, they are to consider their evidence.

Remission or suspension of business or procedure; as, the house of representatives had a recess of half an hour.

Privacy; seclusion from the world or from company. Good verse recess and solitude requires.

Secret or abstruse part; as the difficulties and recesses of science.

A withdrawing from any point; removal to a distance.

An abstract or registry of the resolutions of the imperial diet.

The retiring of the shore of the sea or of a lake from the general line of the shore, forming a bay.