Lewis & Short

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sē-cēdo, cessi, cessum, 3, v. n., to go apart, go away, separate, withdraw (class.; not in Cæs.; but cf. secessio).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen., absol.: secedant improbi, secernant se a bonis, Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 32; Ov. M. 6, 490: prosecutus eram viatico secedentem, Plin. Ep. 3, 21, 2: abite et de viā secedite, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 2: de coetu, Ov. M. 2, 465: a vestro potui secedere lusu, Prop. 1, 10, 9: utinam nostro secedere corpore possem! Ov. M. 3, 467.
      1. 2. Poet., of inanim. subjects, to remove, withdraw; and in the perf., to be distant: (luna) quantum solis secedit ab orbe, Lucr. 5, 705: ab imis terra, Ov. F 6, 279: (villa) decem et septem milibus passuum ab urbe secessit, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 2; Claud. Epith. Pall. et Cell. 63.
    2. B. In partic.
      1. 1. To go aside, withdraw, retire: secede huc nunc jam procul, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 23; so, huc, id. Am. 2, 2, 139; id. As. 3, 3, 49; id. Capt. 2, 2, 13: in abditam partem aedium, Sall. C. 20, 1: in utraque latera (cohortes), Front. Strat. 6, 6, 3: ad deliberandum, Liv. 45, 36: ad consultandum, Suet. Ner. 15: lex Spartana vetat secedere amantes, Prop. 3, 14 (4, 13), 21: secedit humumque Effodit, Ov. M. 11, 185.
        1. b. In post-Aug. authors (esp. in Suet.), to retire from public into private life; absol.: integrā aetate ac valetudine statuit repente secedere seque e medio quam longissime amovere, Suet. Tib. 10: illuc e comitatu suo, id. Aug. 98; so Plin. Ep. 1, 9, 3: ab Urbe, Suet. Gram. 3: in insulam, etc., Quint. 3, 1, 17; Suet. Vesp. 4; id. Gram. 5; cf. Rhodum, id. Caes. 4.
        2. c. To seek the exclusive society of any one, to retire from the world: ad optimos viros, Sen. Ot. Sap. 1, 1.
      2. 2. Polit., to separate one’s self by rebellion, to revolt, secede (syn.: deficio, descisco): ut anno XVI. post reges exactos propter nimiam dominationem potentium secederent, Cic. Corn. 1, p. 450 Orell.: saepe ipsa plebes armata a patribus secessit, Sall. C. 33, 3; Suet. Tib. 2: injussu consulum in Sacrum Montem secessisse, to have marched out in rebellion, Liv. 2, 32; so, in Sacrum Montem, id. 7, 40; Flor. 1, 23: in Janiculum (plebs), Plin. 16, 10, 15, § 37.
  2. II. Trop. (very rare; perh. only poet. and in post-Aug. prose): antequam ego incipio secedere et aliā parte considere, to dissent from the opinion, Sen. Ep. 117, 4: a fesso corpore sensus, Cat. 64, 189: qui solitarius separatusque a communi malo civitatis secesserit, has withdrawn himself, Gell. 2, 12, 1: cum ad stilum secedet, shall give himself up to writing, Quint. 1, 12, 12: in te ipse secede, retire within yourself, Sen. Ep. 25, 7.

sēcessus, ūs, m. [secedo], a going away, departure, separation (not ante-Aug.).

  1. I. In gen. (very rare): avium, Plin. 10, 29, 41, § 76: quasi quodam secessu mentis atque animi facto a corpore, Gell. 2, 1, 2.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. (Acc. to secedo, I. B. 1.) Retirement, solitude (the prevailing signif. of the word; syn. solitudo).
      1. 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. 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. 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.
    2. B. (Acc. to secedo, I. B. 2.) For the usual secessio (II.), a political secession: iratae plebis secessus, Plin. 19, 4, 19, § 56.
    3. C. A place of retirement, privy, drain (late Lat.), Vulg. Matt. 15, 17; id. Marc. 7, 19.