recounting
UK[rɪˈkaʊntɪŋ]US[rɪˈkaʊntɪŋ]
n
the act of telling a story or describing an event or series of events
verb (present participle)
telling someone about something; giving an account of an event or experience
Morpheme Breakdown
re
count
ing
re
again
count
relate, narrate
ing
action/state suffix
Etymology
the word 'recounting' is built upon the verb 'recount', which entered english from anglo-norman and old french 'recunter', meaning "to tell, relate". this french term is a combination of the latin prefix 're-', implying "again" or "anew", and 'computare', meaning "to count, calculate, or reckon". the semantic shift from literal calculation to narration is evident in the french 'conter' (to tell a story). the '-ing' suffix is a prolific germanic element used to form nouns from verbs, denoting the action or its result. thus, the literal logic of "telling again" or "narrating anew" underlies the modern abstract sense of giving a detailed account of past events.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + count (relate, narrate) + ing (action/state suffix)
re: latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
count: from old french 'conter', from latin 'computare' meaning "to sum up, reckon, relate". in this context, its functional role is the core verb meaning "to relate or narrate".
ing: from old english '-ing', '-ung', a suffix forming verbal nouns indicating the action or process.
Examples
she gave a vivid recounting of her travels across the sahara.
his book is a personal recounting of the historical battle.
we listened intently to his recounting of the day's strange events.