recursive
UK[rɪˈkɜː.sɪv]US[rɪˈkɜːr.sɪv]
adj
Involving or characterized by a process that repeats itself indefinitely or until a specific condition is met, often by referring back to itself.
adj
(Mathematics, Computing) Relating to or involving a recursive function or procedure.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
curs
ive
re
again
curs
run
ive
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'recursive' is built upon the Latin verb 'currere', meaning 'to run'. The prefix 're-', meaning 'again' or 'back', is attached to the root 'curs-', creating the sense of 'running back'. This literal idea of running back to a starting point evolved into the abstract concept of a process that loops back upon or refers to itself. The suffix '-ive' was added to form an adjective, solidifying its modern meaning in logic, mathematics, and computing to describe definitions, functions, or procedures that are self-referential.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + curs (run) + ive (adjective suffix)
- re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- curs: Latin origin, from the stem of 'currere' (to run), acting as a root.
- ive: Latin origin via French, an adjective-forming suffix meaning "tending to" or "performing the action of".
Examples
The recursive function called itself to solve the smaller sub-problems.
The definition of "ancestor" is recursive: a parent of an individual or an ancestor of that individual's parent.
She explained the concept with a simple recursive story that never seemed to end.