répétitions

Répétitions is the plural of répétition, a French noun with several related meanings. It derives from Latin repetitio through Old French and denotes the act of repeating or something that occurs again. In everyday language, répétition can refer to any repetition of an action, sound, or event, but its sense expands in professional contexts to include practice sessions or rehearsals.

In the performing arts, a répétition is a rehearsal. French theatres and orchestras use the term to refer to preparatory sessions before a performance. Rehearsals can be staged as répétitions générales, which are typically full run-throughs with all participants and technical elements, or as répétitions techniques focusing on lighting, sound, or stage machinery. They are designed to synchronize performers and crew and to test timing, cues, and transitions.

In science, education, and linguistics, répétitions denote repetition and repetition-based procedures. In research, repeat trials or replicates are described as répétitions or répétitions expérimentales to confirm results and assess variability. In language and rhetoric, répétition is a device that repeats a word or phrase for emphasis or cohesion.

Other uses include data collection and testing contexts where the number of répétitions indicates how many times a measurement is repeated to obtain an average. The term remains widely used in French-speaking countries in both formal and colloquial settings to describe repeated actions or practice sessions.