recursive
recursive Lexical Profile
recursive Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or involving a rule, procedure, or function that is applied repeatedly to its own output or defined in terms of itself, especially in mathematics, computer science, and linguistics.
"The programmer wrote a recursive algorithm to traverse the nested directory structure."
Characterized by repetition or returning repeatedly to an earlier stage, theme, or state.
"Writing is often a recursive process in which authors continually revise and refine their initial ideas."
Word Nuance & Usage
In computer science, 'recursive' is distinct from 'iterative': a recursive function calls itself to solve smaller instances of a problem, whereas an iterative process repeats a block of instructions using a loop.
• Rhymes for recursive
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin recursivus, from the past participle stem of Latin recurrere ('to run back, return'), formed from re- ('back, again') and currere ('to run').