recital

[ri-sahyt-l]

noun

1. a musical entertainment given usually by a single performer or by a performer and one or more accompanists.

2. a similar entertainment in a field other than music.

   a dance recital.

3. a program or concert by dance or music students to demonstrate their achievements or progress.

4. an act or instance of reciting.

5. a formal or public delivery of something memorized.

6. a detailed statement.

7. an account, narrative, or description.

   He gave a recital of the things he'd been doing since we'd last seen him.

recital

/ rɪˈsaɪtəl /

noun

1. a musical performance by a soloist or soloists Compare concert

2. the act of reciting or repeating something learned or prepared

3. an account, narration, or description

4. a detailed statement of facts, figures, etc

5. (often plural) law the preliminary statement in a deed showing the reason for its existence and leading up to and explaining the operative part

Other Word Forms

• recitalist noun
• nonrecital noun
• prerecital noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of recital¹

First recorded in 1505–15; recite + -al ²

Synonym Study

See narrative.

Related Words

• concert 
• musical 
• presentation 
• reading 
• recitation 
• rehearsal