recapitulate

Etymology

From Late Latin recapitulātus, past participle of recapitulāre (“to go over the main points of a thing again”), from re- (“again”) + capitulum (“head, main part, chapter”), from caput (“head”) + -ulum (diminutive suffix); see capitulate.

verb

1. (transitive, intransitive) To summarize or repeat in concise form.
   The entire symphony was recapitulated in the last four bars.
   We still have five minutes left, so let's recapitulate.
2. (transitive) To reproduce or closely resemble (as in structure or function).
3. (transitive) (biology, of an organism) To mirror or repeat in analogous form, especially in reference to an individual's development passing through stages corresponding to the species' stages of evolutionary development.
   Similarly this concept of unity provided a powerful impetus for embryological studies and the idea that fetal development recapitulates the steps of phylogenetic development. 1997 May, G. A. Bray, “Growth of a Molecular Base for Feeding”, in Obesity Research, volume 5, number 3, page 272