Récurrents

Récurrents is the plural form of the adjective récurrent and can also refer to phenomena or objects that occur again or repeatedly over time. In general use, it describes things with repetition, periodicity, or cyclicity, from events that recur to patterns that reappear in data or processes.

In mathematics and logic, the concept is closely connected to recurrence. A recurrence relation defines a sequence by expressing each term as a function of previous terms. The Fibonacci sequence is a classic example. Recurrence relations are central in combinatorics, algorithm analysis, and dynamic programming, and their solutions may be obtained analytically or through iterative computation.

In computing, the term is often encountered in the form of recurrent neural networks (RNNs), a family of architectures designed to process sequential data. RNNs maintain a hidden state that propagates across time steps, enabling memory of prior inputs and temporal dependencies. The notion of recurrence also appears in other modular components and systems where outputs depend on previous states.

Beyond formal disciplines, récurrents describe recurring patterns in statistics, meteorology, linguistics, and other fields. Such patterns may be seasonal, periodic, or otherwise repeated, signaling regular structure rather than random variation.

In usage, the term may vary by field. More precise phrases include relation de récurrence, suite récurrente, or réseau récurrent, depending on whether the context concerns mathematical sequences, computational models, or neural architectures.