different between frequent vs recurring

English

Etymology 1

From Old French frequent, from Latin frequens (“crowded, crammed, frequent, repeated, etc.”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhrek- (“to cram together”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?i?.kw?nt/

Adjective

frequent (comparative more frequent or frequenter, superlative most frequent or frequentest)

1. Done or occurring often; common.
2. Occurring at short intervals.
3. Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.
4. (obsolete) Full; crowded; thronged.
   • 1603, Ben Jonson, Sejanus His Fall

     'Tis Caesar's will to have a frequent senate.

5. (obsolete) Often or commonly reported.
   • 1626, Philip Massinger, The Roman Actor

     'Tis frequent in the city he hath subdued / The Catti and the Daci.

Synonyms

• regular
• recurring
• continual
• steady

Antonyms

• rare
• uncommon

Related terms

• frequency
• frequently
• infrequent
• frequently asked question (FAQ)

Translations

Etymology 2

From Old French frequenter, from Latin frequentare (“to fill, crowd, visit often, do or use often, etc.”), from frequens (“frequent, crowded”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /f???kw?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Verb

frequent (third-person singular simple present frequents, present participle frequenting, simple past and past participle frequented)

1. (transitive) To visit often.

Derived terms

• frequenter
• unfrequented

Translations

Further reading

• frequent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• frequent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

German

Etymology

From Latin frequens.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [f?e?kv?nt]
• Hyphenation: fre?quent

Adjective

frequent (comparative frequenter, superlative am frequentesten)

1. (dated or medicine) frequent

Declension

Further reading

• “frequent” in Duden online

Old French

Adjective

frequent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular frequent or frequente)

1. frequent; often

Declension

Descendants

• ? English: frequent
• French: fréquent

English

Verb

recurring

1. present participle of recur

Adjective

recurring (comparative more recurring, superlative most recurring)

1. Happening or occurring frequently, with repetition.

   He has recurring asthma attacks.

   Revenge is a recurring theme in this novel.

2. (mathematics) Of a decimal: having a set of digits that is repeated indefinitely.

   Every rational number can be written as either a terminating decimal or a recurring decimal.

Synonyms

• (happening or occurring frequently): recurrent, repetitive; see also Thesaurus:repetitive

Translations

Noun

recurring (plural recurrings)

1. A recurrence; a coming round again.

Synonyms

• reiteration, repeat; see also Thesaurus:reoccurrence