re·ces·sion 1  (r ĭ-s ĕsh ən)
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n.1. The fact or action of moving away or back, especially: a. The erosion of a cliff or headland from a given point, as from the action of a waterfall. b. The reduction of a glacier from a point of advancement. c. The motion of celestial objects away from one another in an expanding universe. 2. A significant period of economic decline from the peak to the trough of a business cycle, characterized by decreasing aggregate output and often by rising unemployment. 3. The withdrawal in a line or file of participants in a ceremony, especially clerics and choir members after a church service.
[Latin recessiō, recessiōn-, from recessus, past participle of recēdere, to recede; see RECEDE1.]
re·cession·ar′y adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
re·ces·sion 2  (r ē-s ĕsh ən)
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n. Law The restoration of property by a grantee back to the previous owner by means of a legal conveyance. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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