Seceded

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have chosen to break away from an established political union or collective authority To have taken steps to exit from a recognized governing coalition or body To have made a decisive move to remove oneself from a political alliance or federation
2. Formally withdrew from membership in a political organization or alliance
3. Left a political union or federation by official action or declaration

Etymology: "Seceded" is the past tense of "secede," which comes from Latin "secedere," built from "se-" meaning "apart" and "cedere," meaning "to go." The literal picture is of stepping away from a group and walking off to one side, which is exactly what the English verb still describes. The Latin root "cedere" is also the source of words like "concede," "precede," and "recede," all of which share the sense of moving or yielding. A person who concedes gives ground, and a person who recedes pulls back from a position, so "secede" fits neatly into this family of "going" verbs. In its political sense, the word describes a region or group formally breaking away from a larger state or union, and the stepping-aside image from its Latin roots carries straight through into that meaning.

Synonyms: withdrew, broke away, departed

Antonyms: joined, united, integrated