recurrence

Everyday

1. A recurrence is when something happens again, especially something bad like an illness or a problem. tree →
2. (maths, formal) A recurrence is a rule where each number in a pattern is found from the ones before it. tree →

In the lessons

It appears in health talk («a recurrence of the illness»), in safety notices («to prevent a recurrence») and in maths about patterns and sequences. It tells the reader that something has come back. Phrases: «prevent a recurrence», «a recurrence of», «risk of recurrence».

Examples

• The school changed the lock to prevent a recurrence of the break-in. tree →
• The doctor watched for any recurrence of the fever. tree →
• There was a recurrence of flooding after the heavy rain. tree →
• We hope there will be no recurrence of this bad behaviour. tree →
• The Fibonacci numbers come from a recurrence: add the two numbers before. tree →
• The headteacher wrote that she wanted no recurrence of the fight. tree →
• The recurrence of the noise made the dog bark. tree →

Note

Noun of «recur»; spelt with double r and -ence (not -ance). Countable: a recurrence, recurrences. A slightly formal word; in everyday talk people say «it happened again». In a number pattern, a recurrence rule tells you how to get the next number from earlier ones.