Wiederkehrend

Wiederkehrend is a German adjective describing something that occurs again and again, i.e., recurring or recurrent. It is used for events, phenomena, symptoms, or processes that return over time or follow a pattern. In everyday language as well as in scientific, medical, or technical writing, phrases such as wiederkehrende Schmerzen (recurrent pains), wiederkehrende Kosten (recurring costs), or wiederkehrende Termine (recurring appointments) are common.

Etymology and nuance: the word is formed from wieder (again) and kehren (to turn, to return) with the agentive suffix -end. While it is often close in meaning to periodisch (periodic), wiederkehrend emphasizes repetition or return rather than necessarily fixed intervals; something can be wiederkehrend without a strictly regular period.

Related terms and usage: related nouns and verbs include Wiederkehr (noun: recurrence, return) and wiederkehren (to recur). In technical contexts, Rekurrenz is used in mathematics or computer science to denote recurrence relations or patterns. In medical language, synonyms such as rezidivierend or wiederkehrend describe diseases or symptoms that reappear after a period of remission. The term is common in general prose as well as in specialised writing, and it often contrasts with or complements terms like repetitiv, wiederholend, or periodisch depending on the precise nuance of repetition and timing.