Recaps

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A concise summary that distills the key points or events
2. A brief account that reiterates the significant details of prior content
3. Provides a shortened version highlighting essential facts or events ; goes over important aspects again for clarity or reinforcement

Etymology: "Recaps" is the third-person singular present form of the verb "recap," so its history is that of the verb itself. The verb is a clipping of "recapitulation," a word that goes back to the Latin "recapitulare," meaning to go over the main heads or chapters again, built from "re-" (again) and "capitulum" (a small head, or a chapter of a text). Clipping shortened the long word to its first syllables, and the speed and handiness of the short form made it the everyday choice for quick summaries. The same clipping process gave the verb a second life in finance. "Recapitalization," the restructuring of a company's capital, was shortened to "recap" as well, so the word now covers both a sports-broadcast or television summary and a corporate rebalancing of debt and equity. Its meaning shifted with each clipping while its shape stayed the same.

Synonyms: summarizes, reviews, recapitulates, outlines, restates

Antonyms: expands, elaborates, details, explains, complicates