Tail Call

Definitions

1. A function call that occurs as the last action of a function, allowing the compiler to reuse the current stack frame instead of allocating a new one. Enables recursion without stack overflow.

   In plain English: When a function calls another function as its very last step, letting the computer reuse memory instead of piling up more and more function calls.

   Example: "Rewrite that recursive function with a tail call so it doesn't blow the stack on large inputs."

Related Terms

• Backtracking
• Cache
• Discriminated Union
• Effect System
• Option Type
• Pattern Matching
• Pipe Operator
• Memoization
• Dynamic Programming
• Greedy Algorithm
• Divide and Conquer