Recapitulate

Recapitulate is a verb meaning to summarize or restate the main points of a text, speech, or argument in a concise form. It is often used to indicate a brief restatement at the end of a piece of writing or a presentation. The noun recapitulation refers to the act or instance of recapitulating, or to a concise summary of the main points.

The word comes from Latin recapitulat- meaning “headed again,” from recapitulare, itself from re- “again” and caput “head.” The sense links the idea of gathering key points and presenting them under a single heading to a concise restatement.

Usage: In formal writing, authors may say “To recapitulate” or “In recapitulation” to introduce a brief summary of conclusions. In lectures or meetings, speakers may recapitulate to emphasize the main ideas. Synonyms include summarize, recap, and restate; recapitulate tends to have a more formal or technical tone.

Other senses: In biology, recapitulation once referred to the discredited theory that an organism’s development repeats stages of its ancestors’ evolution—ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny—an idea historically influential but no longer supported. In music, recapitulation is the section in a sonata form where principal themes return, typically in the home key.