adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Music played during a church recession.
2. 2
   a hymn that is sung at the end of a service as the clergy and choir withdraw wordnet
3. 3
   the withdrawal of the clergy and choir from the chancel to the vestry at the end of a church service wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Of or relating to recession or withdrawal, particularly at the end of a religious service or wedding. not-comparable

   "A recessional hymn is sung in a procession returning from the choir to the robing room."

Adjective

1. 1
   of or relating to receding wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

anthemcantatacanticlechoralechurch musicdoxology

Example

More examples

"A recessional hymn is sung in a procession returning from the choir to the robing room."

Etymology

From recession + -al.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.