Recur

Recur

Verb · /rɪˈkɜː/ · to happen again; to return at intervals; to come back repeatedly

Definition

To recur means to happen again — to return after an interval, to appear or occur more than once. A pattern recurs. A theme recurs in a piece of music. A medical symptom recurs. In mathematics and computing, a function that calls itself is recursive — the ultimate form of recurrence. The word does not imply that the repetition is unwanted; it simply names the fact of return.

Origin

From Latin recurrere — re- (again, back) + currere (to run). To recur is literally to run back. The same currere gives us current, course, courier, and occur. A thing that recurs is one that runs around and comes back to its starting point — like a wheel completing a revolution, or a theme completing its cycle.