English edit

Etymology edit

From Latin iterō (do it for a second time, repeat), from iterum (again), akin to is (he, that).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈɪtəɹeɪt/, /ˈaɪtəɹeɪt/
    • (file)

Verb edit

iterate (third-person singular simple present iterates, present participle iterating, simple past and past participle iterated)

  1. (computing) to perform or repeat an action on each item in a set
    The max() function iterates through the data to find the highest value.
  2. (computing, mathematics) to perform or repeat an action on the results of each such prior action
    In mathematics, an iterated function is a function which is composed with itself, possibly ad infinitum, in a process called iteration.
  3. (transitive, archaic) To utter or do a second time or many times; to repeat.
    to iterate advice
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. [], London: [] [Samuel Simmons], [], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: [], London: Basil Montagu Pickering [], 1873, →OCLC:
      Nor Eve to iterate / Her former trespass feared.
    • 1842, William Leman Rede, The Royal Rake: and the Adventures of Alfred Chesterton, page 25:
      "Where's your money?" Jack exclaimed, hoarsely, in a well-feigned voice.
      "Ah! where's the rowdy?" iterated Clayton, in a tone it was impossible to conceal.
  4. (design, transitive, intransitive) To repeat an activity, making incremental changes each time
    • December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger, Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time Magazine[1]:
      For NASA and most private aerospace companies, a single crash is a setback that can take years to recover from. SpaceX works more like a Silicon Valley startup, where the goal is to fail quickly and iterate.

Synonyms edit

Translations edit

Noun edit

iterate (plural iterates)

  1. (mathematics) a function that iterates
    f2(x0) is the second iterate of x0 under f.
    • 2011, M. A. Kaashoek, T. T. West, Locally Compact Semi-Algebras, page 8:
      An important example of such a semigroup in infinite dimensional Hilbert space is the weak operator closed monothetic semigroup generated by a linear operator with equibounded iterates.

Derived terms edit

Adjective edit

iterate (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Said or done again; repeated.
    • 1558, Thomas Watson, Sermons on the Ssacraments:
      The baptisme is good and may not be iterate and geuen agayne.

Synonyms edit

Further reading edit

Anagrams edit

Italian edit

Etymology 1 edit

Verb edit

iterate

  1. inflection of iterare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2 edit

Participle edit

iterate f pl

  1. feminine plural of iterato

Anagrams edit

Latin edit

Verb edit

iterāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of iterō

Spanish edit

Verb edit

iterate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of iterar combined with te