Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Recede \Re*cede"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Receded}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Receding}.] [L. recedere, recessum; pref. re- re- +
   cedere to go, to go along: cf. F. rec['e]der. See {Cede}.]
   1. To move back; to retreat; to withdraw.

            Like the hollow roar Of tides receding from the
            instituted shore.                     --Dryden.

            All bodies moved circularly endeavor to recede from
            the center.                           --Bentley.

   2. To withdraw a claim or pretension; to desist; to
      relinquish what had been proposed or asserted; as, to
      recede from a demand or proposition.

   Syn: To retire; retreat; return; retrograde; withdraw;
        desist.

Source : WordNet®

receding
     adj 1: moving toward a position farther from the front; "the
            receding glaciers of the last ice age"; "retiring fogs
            revealed the rocky coastline" [syn: {retiring}]
     2: (of a hairline e.g.) moving slowly back [syn: {receding(a)}]
     n 1: a slow or gradual disappearance [syn: {fadeout}]
     2: the act of becoming more distant [syn: {recession}]