Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Recess for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Recess" — noun, pronounced /rɪˈses/, with the stress on "cess".
Narrator: A recess is a period when a parliament, court or school stops its work for a break.
Narrator: In plain English, it is an official break.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin recessus, a going back.
Narrator: A common collocation is "summer recess", which describes Parliament's long summer break.
Narrator: It differs from "holiday", because a holiday is personal, while a recess is a formal pause for an institution.
Narrator: In a second sense, a recess is a small space set back into a wall, like an alcove.
Narrator: Politics, law, schools and interior design all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: a recess is a break in time or a gap in a wall.
Speaker A: Why is the news so quiet about Parliament?
Speaker B: It's in summer RECESS! It comes from the Latin for going back.
Speaker A: No debates at all?
Speaker B: Not until September.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The court adjourned for a short recess", a trial. "Kids play outside at recess", an American school. "Put the bookshelf in the recess", a home tip.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: British schools say "break" or "playtime", while American schools say "recess".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Break is its cousin, adjournment its twin, and alcove an alternative — yet recess keeps its restful charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "recess" in AI prompts — useful for civic apps and interior design.
Speaker A: How for civic apps?
Speaker B: Show dates.
Prompt: List the dates of this year’s parliamentary recesses in a calendar-friendly format.
Speaker A: And interior design?
Speaker B: Use space.
Prompt: Suggest five ways to use a chimney recess in a small living room.
Speaker A: Could it help localisation?
Speaker B: Yes, for schools.
Prompt: Convert this American school newsletter so recess becomes British wording.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: A court tracker.
Prompt: Post a status update when a hearing goes into recess and when it resumes.
Recess — meaning in Arabic & definition More R courses GL Dictionary