Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A method of defining a sequence of objects, such as an expression, function, or set, where some number of initial objects are given and each successive object is defined in terms of the preceding objects. The Fibonacci sequence is defined by recursion.
  • noun A set of objects so defined.
  • noun A rule describing the relation between an object in a recursive sequence in terms of the preceding objects.
  • noun Linguistics The property of languages in which a structure, such as a phrase or clause, may form a part of a larger structure of the same kind, allowing for a potentially infinite variety of constructions.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Return.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete The act of recurring; return.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The act of recurring.
  • noun mathematics The act of defining an object (usually a function) in terms of that object itself.
  • noun computing The calling of a function from within that same function.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (mathematics) an expression such that each term is generated by repeating a particular mathematical operation

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin recursiō, recursiōn-, a running back, from Latin recursus, past participle of recurrere, to run back; see recur.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin recursiō ("the act of running back or again, return"), from recurrō ("run back; return"), from re- ("back, again") + currō ("run").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word recursion.

Examples

  • Kretsinger, known by the moniker "recursion," grabbed confidential information from Sony, passed it along to other members of LulzSec who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

    SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter By GREG RISLING 2011

  • Kretsinger, known by the moniker "recursion," grabbed confidential information from Sony, passed it along to other members of LulzSec who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

    Breaking News: CBS News 2011

  • Kretsinger, known by the moniker "recursion," grabbed confidential information from Sony and passed it along to other members of LulzSec, who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

    unknown title 2011

  • Kretsinger, known by the moniker "recursion," grabbed confidential information from Sony, passed it along to other members of LulzSec who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment said.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • Kretsinger, known by the moniker "recursion," grabbed confidential information from Sony and passed it along to other members of LulzSec, who posted the stolen material on its website, according to the indictment.

    SFGate: Don Asmussen: Bad Reporter By GREG RISLING 2011

  • Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment said.

    Reuters: Press Release 2011

  • Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment said.

    Reuters: Press Release 2011

  • Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment said.

    Reuters: Press Release 2011

  • Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment said.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • see recursion

    October 13, 2007

  • Heh.

    October 13, 2007

  • Heehee.

    October 13, 2007

  • ....can't....stop....clicking....

    October 13, 2007

  • Har! You made my day with this one, uselessness.

    October 13, 2007

  • On a related note, see infinite loop.

    October 13, 2007

  • The best new jokes are old ones?

    October 15, 2007

  • Ha! Check out the "reverse dictionary" section for this word.

    August 23, 2018