recur

verb

Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin recurrō (“to hurry or run back; to return, revert”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘back, backwards’) + currō (“to hasten, hurry; to move, travel; to run”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”)). cognates * Anglo-Norman recurre, recorre (“to have recourse to”) * Catalan recórrer * Italian ricorrer * Old French recourir (Middle French recourir; modern French recourir (“to have recourse to; to run again; to run back”)) * Old Occitan recorre * Portuguese recorrer * Spanish recorrer

1. Of an event, situation, etc.: to appear or happen again, especially repeatedly.

   “The theme of the prodigal son recurs later in the third act.”

   “For it is manifeſt, that all the Arguments that are brought Chap. 2, Sect. 3. vvill recur vvith full force in this place.”

2. Of an event, situation, etc.: to appear or happen again, especially repeatedly.

   “The bullet had grazed the optic nerve. […] The oculist had warned him that the trouble might recur, that he ought to have remained under observation. Well, it had recurred about four months ago.”

3. Of a memory, thought, etc.: to come to the mind again.

   “The Saturday at night before he ſuffered, he dream'd his chaine vvas brought to the Counter gate, that the next day being Sunday, he ſhould be had to Nevvgate and burned at Smithfield the Munday enſuing, vvhich after many frightfull avvakings, ſtill recurring to his troubled fancy, he aroſe, and communicating vvhat he had dreamed to his Chamber-fellovv, fell to his old exerciſe of reading and praying.”

   “[…] Men that are of a talkative and melancholy temper see any kind of visions. And this, especially because they have so deep a resentment [i.e., impression] of the most affecting objects, whose images therefore recur to the fancy when they are asleep, in most distinct and lively figures.”

4. To speak, think, or write about something again; to go back or return to a memory, a subject, etc.

   “But firſt I ſhall recurre, and give a touch upon the nature of Gravity.”

   “But before vve proceed to vvhat paſſed on his Arrival in the Kitchin, it vvill be neceſſary to recur to vvhat had there happened ſince Partridge had firſt left it on his Maſter's Summons.”

5. Followed by to, or (Scotland, obsolete) on or upon: to have recourse to someone or something for assistance, support, etc.; to appeal, to resort, to turn to.

   “[I]f his Grace vvere minded, or vvould intend to do a thing inique or injuſt, there vvere no need to recurr unto the Pope's Holineſe for doing thereof.”

   “And surely here I admire the goodnes of God towards our Nation, that he would Saint Austin [Augustine of Hippo] should enquire such small matters of S. Gregory, and that his questions should remaine to our dayes, both to shew vs by our first Apostle what account we should make of the resolution of the Sea Apostolick, and […] in all difficulties recur to her, […]”

6. Synonym of recurse (“to execute a procedure recursively”).
7. Often in the form recurring following a number: of a numeral or group of numerals in a decimal fraction: to repeat indefinitely.

   “One-third can be written in decimal form as 0.3333 …, or point three-recurring.”

   “CIRCULATING Decimals, or Recurring Decimals, are those that consist of a repetition of a small number of digits, as 646464, &c. 4127127127, &c.; in fact, every decimal that is not finite, is a circulating decimal, or is such, that if continued far enough, the same figures will again recur; but it is only those, of which the periods of circulation consist of a few figures, that receive generally the definition of circulating decimals.”

8. Followed by into or to: to go to a place again; to return.

   “[H]er conſtancy beganne to ſtagger, and her honeſty had enough to doe, recurring to her eyes to containe them, leſt they ſhould giue any demonſtration of the amorous compaſsion vvhich Lotharios vvordes and teares had ſtirred in her breaſt.”

   “Cycle of the Sun is the revolution of 28 years, Cycle of the Moon the revolution of 19 years, in which time both of their motions recur to the ſame point.”

9. Followed by into or to: To go back to doing an activity, or to using a thing; to return.

   “I contrived for ſome time to carry on ſomething like a converſation vvith this vvoman, but vvas ſoon glad to put an end to it by recurring to my bottle.”

   “After throwing out this pregnant hint, Mr Poyser recurred to his pipe and his silence, looking at Hetty to see if she did not give some sign of having renounced her ill-advised wish.”

10. Followed by to: to go to a place; to resort.

    “[T]he City grevv very populous, many recurring thither from all parts of Attica, for liberty and ſecurity, […]”

11. Followed by from: to move or run back from something; to recede, to withdraw.

    “If half the latitude of the firſt vvave be an aliquant part of the ſtring, after the motion has been propagated to the fartheſt extremity, there vvill be a nevv ſeries of leſs vvaves, recurring in a contrary direction.”