recapitulation

American  

[ree-kuh-pich-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˌri kəˌpɪtʃ əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of recapitulating or the state of being recapitulated.

2. a brief review or summary, as of a speech.

3. Biology. the theory that the stages an organism passes through during its embryonic development repeat the evolutionary stages of structural change in its ancestral lineage.

4. Music. the modified restatement of the exposition following the development section in a sonata-form movement.

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recapitulation British  

/ ˌriːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of recapitulating, esp summing up, as at the end of a speech

2. Also called: palingenesis.  biology the apparent repetition in the embryonic development of an animal of the changes that occurred during its evolutionary history Compare caenogenesis

3. music the repeating of earlier themes, esp when forming the final section of a movement in sonata form

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recapitulatory
  adjective
• recapitulative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of recapitulation

1350–1400; Middle English recapitulacioun < Late Latin recapitulātiōn- (stem of recapitulātiō ), equivalent to recapitulāt ( us ) ( see recapitulate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A recapitulation is a short summary. At the end of an hour-long speech, you should probably give a recapitulation if you want your audience to remember anything you’ve just said. A recapitulation, or "recap," is a summary, review, or restatement. The purpose of a recapitulation is to remind your reader or audience of your main points. There's no new information in a recapitulation, just the same information in a smaller, more condensed form. The prefix re- is a signal that a recapitulation involves repeating something.

Example Sentences

Recapitulation for the 72nd House: Drys 285 Wets 109 Contests 24 Weaslers 17 Total 435 Superintendent McBride has claimed a Dry strength of 325 in the next House.

From Time Magazine Archive

The connection between the Development and the Recapitulation is skilfully managed and the third part does not bore us but is welcomed as something we would gladly hear again.

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond

This can refer, naturally, only to what occurs after the Exposition,—that is, during the Recapitulation; for it is the Exposition which determines the plan, and regular order, of the thematic members.

From Lessons in Music Form A Manual of Analysis of All the Structural Factors and Designs Employed in Musical Composition by Goetschius, Percy

Just before the Recapitulation, in measures 41-43, is an early example of Beethoven's fondness for instrumental recitative—music speaking with a more intimate appeal than words.

From Music: An Art and a Language by Spalding, Walter Raymond

Cadiz, January 27th, 1780,195 Recapitulation of former proceedings relative to Spain.—Requests the interposition of the King in favor of America.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 7. by Various