recapitulation
This term carries a formal, academic tone and is most frequently encountered in professional presentations or scholarly writing to signal a structured review of previously discussed material. It suggests a deliberate, systematic condensation of information rather than a casual summary.
In specialized fields, the word takes on precise technical meanings. In music theory, it refers to a specific structural return to the home key in sonata form, while in biology, it describes the historical hypothesis that embryonic development mirrors evolutionary history.
Meanings
The act of summarizing the main points of an argument, speech, or piece of writing.
The speaker provided a brief recapitulation of the key findings before concluding the presentation.
The repetition of a theme or a section of a musical composition, typically in the final movement of a sonata form.
The orchestra entered the recapitulation, returning to the primary melody in the home key.
The process in embryology where the stages of an embryo's development repeat the evolutionary stages of its ancestors.
The theory of recapitulation suggests that ontogeny repeats phylogeny.