Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "recess" come from? It comes from Latin recessus, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "recess" come from? It comes from Latin recessus, and was adopted directly into English (1530s).
Recess’s story begins in Latin: recessus meant “a going back.” From 'recedere', to go back. It reached English by 1530s as recess. School 'recess' is American, from the 1600s. Today, recess means a break; a small space set back in a wall.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient recessus "a going back", from 'recedere', to go back.
- Stage 2 · English · 1530s recess "withdrawal", school 'recess' is American, from the 1600s.