Recursion

Definition
Recursion is a process or result of elements recurring in a structure. Recursion allows structure to become of unbounded length.

Example
Compounding in English is recursive as is shown by the examples in (i): the concatenation of nouns can go on forever.

(i)  film society &gt; student film society &gt; student film society committee &gt; student film society committee scandal &gt; student film society committee scandal inquiry &gt; etc.

Links

 * Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics