recapitulate
recapitulate Lexical Profile
recapitulate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To summarize and state again the main points of a speech, argument, or text.
"At the end of the lecture, the professor took five minutes to recapitulate the key arguments."
To repeat the evolutionary stages of an ancestral species during embryonic or juvenile development (in biology).
"In 19th-century biology, it was widely believed that an organism's embryonic development would recapitulate the evolutionary history of its ancestors."
To restate the principal musical themes in the concluding section of a movement or composition (in music).
"In the final section of the sonata, the orchestra begins to recapitulate the opening melody in the tonic key."
Word Nuance & Usage
The informal shortened form 'recap' is much more common in everyday speech and broadcasting, whereas 'recapitulate' is reserved for formal, academic, or scientific contexts.
• Rhymes for recapitulate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Late Latin 'recapitulare', meaning 'to go over the main headings again', derived from 're-' (again) and 'capitulum' (main point or chapter, diminutive of 'caput', meaning 'head').