recursion

noun

UK /rɪˈkɜːʃən/

US /rɪˈkɝːʒən/

Recursion is when something does itself over and over again.

The picture on the box showed a smaller picture of the same box, and that is a simple example of recursion.

SYNONYMS

repetition iteration looping recurrence

RELATED WORDS

recursive function loop algorithm self-reference

OTHER MEANINGS

2. In computing, a technique where a function calls itself to solve smaller parts of a problem.

The programmer used recursion to calculate the factorial of a number.

3. In mathematics, a way of defining a sequence where each term depends on earlier terms.

The Fibonacci sequence is often defined by recursion.

4. The act of returning to a previous point or happening again.

The recursion of the same error in the report made the editor suspicious.