Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
RECESS
I. noun
Etymology: Latin recessus, from recedere to recede
Date: 1531
the action of receding ; recession , a hidden, secret, or secluded place or part,
3. indentation , cleft , alcove , a suspension of business or procedure often for rest or relaxation ,
II. verb
Date: 1809
transitive verb to put into a recess , to make a recess in, to interrupt for a recess, intransitive verb to take a recess