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

LLMs that eat too much of their own cooking are prone to model collapse, a symptom of the curse of recursion.

From Slate • Aug. 24, 2023

When the 2020 study on recursive capacities in humans and monkeys was published, some experts remained unconvinced that the monkeys understood recursion.

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

This, called recursion, is what Mr Chomsky calls the language faculty “narrowly defined”.

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