Noun

(en noun)

The act of publicly reciting something previously memorized.

The material recited.

A regularly scheduled class, in a school, in which discussion occurs of the material covered in a parallel lecture.

*1882 , Wayside Gleanings for Leisure Moments , , page 20,

*:I shall now endeavor to give some account of the College.... Some then go to a recitation' of the lesson they have learnt the previous evening. Some return to their rooms till the breakfast-bell, about seven or after. At eight the sludy bell rings. All must then go in their rooms and continue there, even if they have no lessons to learn, unless they attend a ' recitation which occupies an hour.

*1896 , , "The 'English Courses' of the University of California", reprinted in, 1986, Novels and Essays , Library of America, ISBN 0940450402, page 1109,

*:In the "announcement of courses" published annually by the faculty of the University of California the reader cannot fail to be impressed with the number and scope of the hours devoted by the students to recitations and lectures upon the subject of "literature."

*1999 October 29, J. Levine "Re: Debate on accreditation of Jones International", alt.education.distance , Usenet,

*:Many of my courses, however, were offered in recitation'-lecture format. We would attend class, say twice a week, and a lecture once a week. ... I do seem to recall that my ' recitation sections seldom had less than 40 to 50 students and my lecture classes often had upwards of 100 to 300 students.

Noun

(countable) Something small enough to escape casual notice.

(uncountable) A profusion of details.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=(Timothy Garton Ash)

, volume=189, issue=6, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli , passage=Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail , a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.}}

Something considered trivial enough to ignore.

(countable) A person's name, address and other personal information.

(military) A temporary unit or assignment.

A part distinct from the whole.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author=(Gary Younge)

, volume=188, issue=26, page=18, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution , passage=WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies.}}

A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars.