verb

recapitulate

ree-kuh-PICH-oo-layt/ˌriːkəˈpɪtʃuleɪt/

To briefly repeat the main points of something.

Before we finish, let me recapitulate the main points.

A Black woman presenter points back to three simple pictograms summarizing a completed demonstration, no text.

Etymology

reLatinagain

+capitulLatinlittle head; heading, main part

+ateEnglishverb-forming ending

‘Little heads’ became headings or main sections of a discourse. Going over those heads again means reviewing the principal points rather than repeating everything.

In context

Enhanced Public Domain265:48

his majesty in another audience was at pains to recapitulate the sum of all I had spoken compared to the questions he had made with the answers I had given

1700s Satire: Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels (Audiobook)

More examples

The final paragraph recapitulates the essay’s central argument.
She recapitulated our discussion for the members who arrived late.
He begins by recapitulating what we learned last week.

Forms

recapitulate · recapitulates · recapitulated · recapitulating

recapitulation noun — A brief repetition of the main points.

Similar words

summarize: Focuses on brevity, without necessarily repeating an earlier account.
recap: A more conversational term for reviewing the main points.