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recursion - 5 dictionary results

re⋅cur⋅sion

  [ri-kur-zhuhn]
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–noun Mathematics, Computers.
the process of defining a function or calculating a number by the repeated application of an algorithm.
Origin:
1925–30; < LL recursiōn- (s. of recursiō) a running back, equiv. to recurs(us) (see recourse ) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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re·cur·sion   (rĭ-kûr'zhən)   
n.   Mathematics
  1. An expression, such as a polynomial, each term of which is determined by application of a formula to preceding terms.
  2. A formula that generates the successive terms of a recursion.

[Late Latin recursiō, recursiōn-, a running back, from Latin recursus, past participle of recurrere, to run back; see recur.]
re·cur'sive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Recursion

Re*cur"sion\ (-sh?n), n. [L. recursio. See Recur.] The act of recurring; return. [Obs.] --Boyle.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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recursion

n. See recursion. See also tail recursion.
Jargon File 4.2.0
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recursion mathematics, programming
When a function (or procedure) calls itself. Such a function is called "recursive". If the call is via one or more other functions then this group of functions are called "mutually recursive".
If a function will always call itself, however it is called, then it will never terminate. Usually however, it first performs some test on its arguments to check for a "base case" - a condition under which it can return a value without calling itself.
The canonical example of a recursive function is factorial:
factorial 0 = 1 factorial n = n * factorial (n-1)
Functional programming languages rely heavily on recursion, using it where a procedural language would use iteration.
See also recursion, recursive definition, tail recursion.
[The Jargon File]
(1996-05-11)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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