Answers: What is the difference between "recanting" versus "recounting"?
Although they might look quite similar, there is a big difference in the meanings of recant and recount. Let's see if our friends in The Sentinel can help.
To recant is to make a formal retraction or disavowal of a previously held statement or belief. It comes from the Latin recantare, to sing again, from re + cantare, to sing. Its most common usage is - or it might be more accurate to say was - religious; someone who made a statement that was not in accordance with the Church's beliefs was tried as a heretic and given the chance to recant - that is, withdraw that statement.
"You know," Blair said, "a few hundred years ago, the Church discouraged any kind of original thought; the Bible was fact, and anyone who said otherwise was a heretic. It was quite dangerous to be a scientist, and amazing how many of them chose to die rather than recant their 'heresy'."
Words with much the same meaning include abjure, forswear, retract, repudiate, disown, renounce.
Recount, on the other hand, comes from Old French reconter, from re + conter to tell or relate, usually something factual.
Blair's recounting of the events leading up to his escape from the kidnappers was surprisingly amusing, and with one exception the Major Crime detectives found themselves chuckling. The exception, of course, was Jim, who was horrified; there was so much that could have gone wrong.
There is a second meaning for recount - 'count again'. It is used for a second count of something, especially in an election when the votes are close.
"The result of the election for the Representative for Cascade has not yet been determined," the TV announcer said. "The results were so close, there has to be a recount."
It's not hard to tell the difference. If you retract a possibly controversial statement you are recanting it. If you're telling a story or doing another tally, you're recounting it.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recant
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDheretics.htm
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recount
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/pdfs/recount.pdf
To recant is to make a formal retraction or disavowal of a previously held statement or belief. It comes from the Latin recantare, to sing again, from re + cantare, to sing. Its most common usage is - or it might be more accurate to say was - religious; someone who made a statement that was not in accordance with the Church's beliefs was tried as a heretic and given the chance to recant - that is, withdraw that statement.
"You know," Blair said, "a few hundred years ago, the Church discouraged any kind of original thought; the Bible was fact, and anyone who said otherwise was a heretic. It was quite dangerous to be a scientist, and amazing how many of them chose to die rather than recant their 'heresy'."
Words with much the same meaning include abjure, forswear, retract, repudiate, disown, renounce.
Recount, on the other hand, comes from Old French reconter, from re + conter to tell or relate, usually something factual.
Blair's recounting of the events leading up to his escape from the kidnappers was surprisingly amusing, and with one exception the Major Crime detectives found themselves chuckling. The exception, of course, was Jim, who was horrified; there was so much that could have gone wrong.
There is a second meaning for recount - 'count again'. It is used for a second count of something, especially in an election when the votes are close.
"The result of the election for the Representative for Cascade has not yet been determined," the TV announcer said. "The results were so close, there has to be a recount."
It's not hard to tell the difference. If you retract a possibly controversial statement you are recanting it. If you're telling a story or doing another tally, you're recounting it.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recant
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUDheretics.htm
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recount
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/pdfs/recount.pdf