- Today's Word
Recapitulate
[ree-kuh-PITCH-uh-layt]
Definition
- (verb) To summarize and state again the main points of something; to give a brief summary. As a verb, it means to restate or provide a concise review of what has been said, written, or learned previously.
Example
At the end of the lecture, the professor took a few minutes to recapitulate the key concepts covered during class.
Fun Fact
The word “recapitulate” comes from the Latin “recapitulare,” which breaks down into “re” (again) and “capitulum” (heading or chapter), literally meaning “to go over the headings again.” In biology, the term took on a fascinating secondary meaning through Ernst Haeckel’s 1866 theory of recapitulation, which suggested that an organism’s embryonic development repeats its evolutionary history. Though this theory was later disproven, the term “recapitulation” remains an important concept in developmental biology and has influenced fields ranging from psychology to music theory.
(adjective) Relentlessly stern and humorless in manner; gloomy and forbidding in appearance or disposition.
The dour headmaster presided over every assembly with the expression of someone who had personally witnessed the decline of civilization and held the students responsible.