I. re·ces·sion rə̇ˈseshən, rēˈ- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin recession-, recessio, from recessus (past participle of recedere to recede) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at recede
1.
a. : the act or action of receding : retreat
the shy recession of a votary of love taking the veil — Rebecca West
the recession of optimism — R.H.Bainton
b. : the appearance or effect of receding
flatten his figures by reducing their rounds and recessions to roughly the same plane — R.M.Coates
c. : a return procession (as of clergy and choir after a service)
2. : the receding or diminishing of a natural feature or the process by which such movement occurs: as
a. : the upstream retreat of a waterfall
b. : the retreat of an eroded escarpment
c. : the melting back of a glacier
d. : the landward movement of a shoreline undergoing erosion
e. : the withdrawal of a body of water exposing formerly submerged areas to the air
3. : a period of reduced general economic activity marked by a decline in employment, profits, production, and sales that is not as severe or as prolonged as a depression
II. re·cession (ˈ)rē+ noun
Etymology: re- + cession
: the act of ceding back : restoration
the recession of conquered territory