recapitulation

UK: /ˌriːkəpɪtʃʊˈleɪʃ^ən/

US: /ˌrikəˌpɪtʃəˈleɪʃən/

US: (rē′kə pich′ə lā′shən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•ca•pit•u•la•tion  (rē′kə pich′ə lā′shən), n. 

1. the act of recapitulating or the state of being recapitulated.
2. a brief review or summary, as of a speech.
3. Biology the theory that the stages an organism passes through during its embryonic development repeat the evolutionary stages of structural change in its ancestral lineage.
4. Music and Dance the modified restatement of the exposition following the development section in a sonata-form movement.

• Late Latin recapitulātiōn- (stem of recapitulātiō), equivalent. to recapitulāt(us) (see recapitulate) + -iōn- -ion
• 1350–1400; Middle English recapitulacioun

re′ca•pit′u•la′tive, re•ca•pit•u•la•to•ry  (rē′kə pich′ə lə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē), adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

recapitulation / ˌriːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃən/ noun

1. the act of recapitulating, esp summing up, as at the end of a speech
2. Also called: palingenesis the apparent repetition in the embryonic development of an animal of the changes that occurred during its evolutionary history
3. the repeating of earlier themes, esp when forming the final section of a movement in sonata form

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•ca•pit•u•late /ˌrikəˈpɪtʃəˌleɪt/   v., -lated, -lat•ing. 

1. to review or tell again, by a brief summary, as at the end of a speech or discussion; summarize: [~ + object]
   He recapitulated his arguments.
   [no object]
   To recapitulate, the plan is accepted.

re•ca•pit•u•la•tion /ˌrikəˌpɪtʃəˈleɪʃən/  n. 

[uncountable] The paper needs less recapitulation.

[countable] another recapitulation.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

re•ca•pit•u•late  (rē′kə pich′ə lāt′), v., -lated, -lat•ing. 
v.t. 

1. to review by a brief summary, as at the end of a speech or discussion;
   summarize.
2. Developmental Biology, Biology [Biol.] (of an organism) to repeat (ancestral evolutionary stages) in its development.
3. Music and Dance to restate (the exposition) in a sonata-form movement.

v.i. 

4. to sum up statements or matters.

• Late Latin recapitulātus (past participle of recapitulāre), equivalent. to re- re- + capitulātus; see capitulate
• 1560–70

Synonyms

• 1. See repeat.