sēcessus, ūs, m. [secedo], a going away, departure, separation (not ante-Aug.).
I In gen. (very rare): avium, Plin. 10, 29, 41, § 76: quasi quodam secessu mentis atque animi facto a corpore, Gell. 2, 1, 2.—
II In partic.
A (Acc. to secedo, I. B. 1.) Retirement , solitude (the prevailing signif. of the word; syn. solitudo).
1 Lit.: carmina secessum scribentis et otia quaerunt, Ov. Tr. 1, 1, 41; cf.: medium tempus in otio secessuque egit, Suet. Vesp. 4: in secessu ruris sui Sabini, id. Fragm. Vit. Hor. fin. : silentium et secessus non semper possunt contingere, Quint. 10, 3, 28; 10, 3, 23; Suet. Aug. 94; 98; id. Tib. 43; 56; 72; id. Galb. 8: specie secessus exul, Tac. A. 1, 4 fin. : unus e senatoribus Rhodii secessus comes, id. ib. 4, 15: gratum litus amoeni secessus, Juv. 3, 5 et saep.—
2 Transf., a retreat , recess : est in secessu longo locus, etc., Verg. A. 1, 159; 3, 229; Suet. Calig. 29; cf. id. ib. 50; id. Ner. 22; 34; id. Dom. 19; Sen. Ben. 4, 12, 3; in plur., Suet. Aug. 72; id. Calig. 45; Tac. A. 14, 62; Plin. Pan. 49; 83; id. Ep. 4, 23 fin. al.—Of a privy , Hier. Ep. 64, 2.—
3 Trop. (very rare): ideoque mihi videtur M. Tullius tantum intulisse eloquentiae lumen, quod in hos quoque studiorum secessus excurrit, into these remote departments of study (i. e. remote from forensic debates ), Quint. 10, 5, 16: in secessu quam in fronte beatior, in his own mind , inwardly , Val. Max. 7, 2, 12 ext. —
B (Acc. to secedo, I. B. 2.) For the usual secessio (II.), a political secession : iratae plebis secessus, Plin. 19, 4, 19, § 56.—
C A place of retirement , privy , drain (late Lat.), Vulg. Matt. 15, 17; id. Marc. 7, 19.