recursion

n. in generative grammar, a process in which certain grammatical rules can be repeatedly applied, with the output of each application being input to the next, in principle indefinitely. An example is the rule S→S and S, where S denotes a sentence; the rule is recursive because it can be used to generate a potentially infinite string of sentences conjoined by and. A well-known example of recursion is the nursery rhyme “The House that Jack Built” (This is the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that ate the malt…). —recursive adj.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

November 25th 2024

Stewart–Morel syndrome

a disorder characterized by hypertrophy of the frontal bone of the skull, obesity, headache, disturbances affecting the nervous system, and a tendency toward intellectual disability. Also called Morel’s syndrome. [Douglas Hunt Stewart (1860–1943), U.S. surgeon; Ferdinand Morel (1888–1957), Swiss psychiatrist]