1. (n.) A withdrawing or retiring; a moving back; retreat; as, the recess of the tides.

2. (n.) The state of being withdrawn; seclusion; privacy.

3. (n.) Remission or suspension of business or procedure; intermission, as of a legislative body, court, or school.

4. (n.) Part of a room formed by the receding of the wall, as an alcove, niche, etc.

5. (n.) A place of retirement, retreat, secrecy, or seclusion.

6. (n.) Secret or abstruse part; as, the difficulties and recesses of science.

7. (n.) A sinus.

8. (v. t.) To make a recess in; as, to recess a wall.

9. (n.) A decree of the imperial diet of the old German empire.

Jim Crow abeyance adjourn adytum alcove apartheid apartness ashram asylum bay bolt-hole bosom break breath breathe breather breathing place breathing space breathing spell breathing time cache caesura call a break call a recess call time carrel cease-fire cell center cigarette break cloister cocktail hour coffee break concealment continue core corner cove cover covert coverture cranny cubby cubbyhole cubicle dark corner day off declare a recess deepest recesses defer delay den dent depress depths detachment dimple dint dissolve downtime drag out drop dugout enforced respite engrave extend foxhole funk hole half time half-time intermission halt hang fire hang up happy hour heart heart of hearts hermitage hesitate hesitation hideaway hideout hidey hole hiding hiding place hold off hold over hold up hole holiday hollow holy of holies impress imprint indent inglenook inner inner landscape inner life inner man inner nature inner recess inner self inside interim interior interior man interlude intermezzo intermission intermit intermittence intern internal interregnum interruption interval intervene intrados inward isolation isolationism ivory tower knock off lair lapse lay aside lay by lay off lay over layoff let up letup lull mew niche nook notch off-time oriel pause penetralia pigeonhole pit pitchhole plateau pock pockmark point of repose postpone press in privacy privatism privatization prolong prorogate prorogue protract punch punch in push aside put aside put off put on ice quarantine quiet spell recesses recession reclusion refuge relief remission reserve respite rest resting point retirement retreat rise roomlet rustication sanctuary sanctum sanctum sanctorum seclusion secrecy secret place secret places segregation separation sequestration set aside set back set by set in shelve shift off sleep on snuggery soul spell splendid isolation stamp stand over stand-down stash stave off stay stop for breath stretch out surcease suspend suspension table take a break take a recess take a rest take five take ten take time out tamp tea break terminate time off time out truce undercovert vacation vital center vitals waive withdrawal