recapitulate

[ ree-kuh-pich-uh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, re·ca·pit·u·lated, re·ca·pit·u·lat·ing.

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

verb (used without object)

, re·ca·pit·u·lated, re·ca·pit·u·lat·ing.

1. to sum up statements or matters.

recapitulate

/ ˌriːkəˈpɪtjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. to restate the main points of (an argument, speech, etc); summarize
2. tr (of an animal) to repeat (stages of its evolutionary development) during the embryonic stages of its life
3. to repeat at some point during a piece of music (material used earlier in the same work)

Derived Forms

• ˌrecaˈpitulative, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recapitulate¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin recapitulātus (past participle of recapitulāre ), equivalent to re- re- + capitulātus; capitulate

Word History and Origins

Origin of recapitulate¹

C16: from Late Latin recapitulāre , literally: to put back under headings; see capitulate

Synonym Study

See repeat.

Example Sentences

Stopping these toxins could save countless lives and limbs, but laboratory research usually relies on cell-based research, which doesn’t accurately recapitulate what happens in a living animal.

From Science Magazine

So we and many others have worked for decades to make a medicine that could recapitulate that naturally-occurring phenomenon.

From Seattle Times

A method to correctly specify amnion formation is important to be able to recapitulate human embryo development as closely as possible using stem cell-based embryo models.

From Science Daily

"In many cases, animal models simply do not recapitulate either the characteristics or the degree of severity seen in human brain diseases such as microcephaly," Song said.

From Science Daily

"We're not using AI to just recapitulate what we know. We are using AI to generate new scientific hypotheses that are actually testable. It is exciting," Berger-Wolf said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• recap
• rehash