Recomputes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To perform a calculation anew by employing different data or processes
2. To reassess and execute a previous computation utilizing updated information or criteria
3. To carry out a calculation once more, often with the intent to verify or update the results

Etymology: "Recomputes" is the third-person singular form of "recompute", so the core story belongs to the verb itself. The base word "compute" came into English from French "computer", which in turn came from Latin "computare", meaning to reckon or count together. That Latin verb was built from "com-", "together", and "putare", "to reckon, think, or prune", so the original sense was literally a gathering up of numbers into a single total. The prefix "re-" is a Latin element meaning "again" that entered English through Old French, and it was attached to "compute" to mean to work something out once more. Because "compute" has been a standard term for arithmetical calculation, "recompute" naturally describes repeating that calculation when new figures arrive, and the "-s" ending simply marks the present tense for a subject such as "the system" or "she".

Synonyms: recalculate