secedere

Secedere is a Latin verb meaning to go away, withdraw, depart, or separate. It can refer to a physical withdrawal from a place, a retreat in a military or political sense, or a figurative withdrawal from an agreement or alliance. In classical usage it often appears with the prepositions ab, ex, or de to indicate the source or context of departure, as in secedere ab urbe (to withdraw from the city) or secedere ex castris (to withdraw from the camp). The related noun secessio denotes a withdrawal or secession, including political or social secession in historical texts.

Etymology and principal parts: secedere is built from the verb cedere (to go, yield) with the prefix se-, forming a regular third-conjugation verb. The standard principal parts are secedō, secedere, secessī, secessum. This provides the full paradigm for tense and mood, including present active: secedō, secedes, secedet, secedimus, seceditis, secedunt; imperfect: secedēbam, secedēbās, secedēbat, etc.; perfect: secessī, secessistī, secessit, secessimus, secessistis, secessērunt.

Usage notes: secedere occurs in both concrete and figurative contexts and is common in historical and legal writings. It forms the basis for related terms such as secessio (withdrawal, secession) and is often contrasted with recedere (to retreat or withdraw backward) and exire (to go out). In Roman history, constructions like secessio plebis illustrate political withdrawal as a structured, formal action.

See also: recedere, exire, secessio, secessus.