recitation

noun

rec·​i·​ta·​tion ˌre-sə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of enumerating

a recitation of relevant details

2

: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially publicly

3

a

: a student's oral reply to questions

b

: a class period especially in association with and for review of a lecture

Examples of recitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Increasingly isolated, Nixon often turned to Mr. Kissinger, the undiminished star of his administration, for reassurance and a recitation of his greatest achievements. —David E. Sanger, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023

Spacey’s involvement in the event was limited to his recitation. —Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023

The recitation of Islam’s dawn prayers droned softly from a nearby mosque, and somewhere nearby, a rooster began to crow. —Vivian Nereim Andrea Dicenzo, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023

The demo finds the song stripped of much of the adornment from the album version — including Tina Turner and the Ikettes’ vocals on the chorus — leaving only the basic instrumentation, and Zappa’s somehow more deranged recitation of the verses. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2023

When every character is fated, in turn, to meet their end, the lead-up loses its drama; every death occurs at the end of a long, rote recitation of incidents rather than as the culmination of a chaotic or unsettling turn of events. —Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023

Advertisement McCartney’s thoughtful recollections in the book are accompanied by a couple of other essays, including a fine recitation of the stations of the cross by Harvard history professor and New Yorker contributor Jill Lepore. —Charles Kaiser, Washington Post, 2 July 2023

Rusty Hardin, lawyer for the House managers bringing the case against Paxton, objects in the middle of the recitation to Buzbee commenting on each allegations instead of plainly stating his plea. —Aarón Torres, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023

As Egypt’s economic crisis deepens, an affordable meal is hard to find In a spice shop in Al Haram, a middle-class neighborhood next to the Giza pyramids, a Quranic recitation emanated from a black TV screen — damaged in a power cut, according to Mahmoud, who works there with his uncle. —Heba Farouk Mahfouz, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

recitation

noun

rec·​i·​ta·​tion ˌres-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a complete telling or listing of something

2

: the act or an instance of reading or repeating aloud especially before an audience

3

: a student's oral reply to questions