1. A summary at the end that repeats the substance of a longer discussion
   "The professor ended the lecture with a recapitulation of the key points";
   - recap, review
    
2. (music) the repetition of themes introduced earlier (especially when one is composing the final part of a movement)
   "The sonata's recapitulation brought back the main theme with renewed energy"
    
3. (music) the section of a composition or movement (especially in sonata form) in which musical themes that were introduced earlier are repeated
   "The recapitulation brought back the main theme with renewed energy"
    
4. Emergence during embryonic development of various characters or structures that appeared during the evolutionary history of the strain or species
   "recapitulation in human embryos includes the temporary appearance of a tail-like structure";
   - palingenesis

Derived forms: recapitulations

Type of: capitulation, composing, composition, development, growing, growth, maturation, ontogenesis, ontogeny, section, subdivision

Encyclopedia: Recapitulation