recursion

American  

[ri-kur-zhuhn] / rɪˈkɜr ʒən /

noun

Mathematics, Computers.

1. the process of defining a function or calculating a number by the repeated application of an algorithm.

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recursion British  

/ rɪˈkɜːʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of returning or running back

2. logic maths the application of a function to its own values to generate an infinite sequence of values. The recursion formula or clause of a definition specifies the progression from one term to the next, as given the base clause f (0) = 0, f ( n + 1) = f ( n ) + 3 specifies the successive terms of the sequence f ( n ) = 3 n

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Other Word Forms

• recursive
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of recursion

1925–30; < Late Latin recursiōn- (stem of recursiō ) a running back, equivalent to recurs ( us ) ( see recourse) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

For decades, psychologists thought that recursion was a trait of humans alone.

From Scientific American • Nov. 2, 2022

Her comedy resembles an infinite recursion, a hall of mirrors in which the reflections rarely flatter.

From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2022

There is a report—you may have heard it—that in the infinite recursion loop our pop culture has entered, a Frasier reboot is being contemplated by its star, Kelsey Grammer.

From Slate • Jul. 26, 2018

Mr Everett published, in 2005, an article claiming that an Amazonian tribe he had lived with for years, the Pirahã, had no recursion.

From Economist • Oct. 5, 2017

There is a recursion here that is worth noting: like all proteins, DNA polymerase, the enzyme that enables DNA to replicate, is itself the product of a gene.*

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee