accretion

[uh-kree-shuh n]

See more synonyms for accretion on Thesaurus.com

noun

an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.
the result of this process.
an added part; addition: The last part of the legend is a later accretion.

the growing together of separate parts into a single whole.
Law. increase of property by gradual natural additions, as of land by alluvion.

Origin of accretion

1605–15; < Latin accrētiōn- (stem of accrētiō), equivalent to accrēt(us), past participle of accrēscere to grow (ac- ac- + crē- grow + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsac·cre·tive, ac·cre·tion·ar·y, adjectivenon·ac·cre·tion, nounnon·ac·cre·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for accretion

accumulation, raise, rise, accession, increase, augmentation, increment, build-up

Examples from the Web for accretion

Contemporary Examples of accretion

The powerful forces of gravity and magnetism channel matter into huge flattened spinning platters known as accretion disks.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 24, 2014
The direction of polarization for a quasar is determined by the accretion disk surrounding it.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 24, 2014
Their gravitational pull can draw in huge amounts of gas, which swirls in a thick donut-shaped pattern known as an accretion disk.
The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen
Matthew R. Francis
June 22, 2014
The accretion of interest groups is not a uniquely American problem.
So What Would I Do About China?
David Frum
August 22, 2012

Historical Examples of accretion

The fund had ample time for accretion, since the children were as late as Never is.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
Organisms are not added to by accretion, as in the case of minerals, but by growth.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond
With any accretion allowed, the concentration of wealth is irresistible.
Usury
Calvin Elliott
The only difficulty in this accretion is to secure debtors that will not die.
Usury
Calvin Elliott
She was in a state of rare contentment, an accretion to the gaiety that was hers by nature.
The Intrusions of Peggy
Anthony Hope

British Dictionary definitions for accretion

accretion

noun

any gradual increase in size, as through growth or external addition
something added, esp extraneously, to cause growth or an increase in size
the growing together of normally separate plant or animal parts
pathol
1. abnormal union or growing together of parts; adhesion
2. a mass of foreign matter collected in a cavity
law an increase in the share of a beneficiary in an estate, as when a co-beneficiary fails to take his share
astronomy the process in which matter under the influence of gravity is attracted to and increases the mass of a celestial body. The matter usually forms an accretion disc around the accreting object
geology the process in which a continent is enlarged by the tectonic movement and deformation of the earth's crust

Derived Formsaccretive or accretionary, adjective

Word Origin for accretion

C17: from Latin accretiō increase, from accrēscere. See accrue

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for accretion

1610s, from Latin accretionem (nominative accretio) "an increasing, a growing larger" (e.g. of the waxing moon), noun of action from past participle stem of accrescere, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + crescere "grow" (see crescent).

accretion in Medicine

accretion

[ə-krē′shən]

Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion.
Increase by addition to the periphery of material of the same nature as that already present, as in the growth of crystals.accrementition
Foreign material, such as plaque or calculus, collecting on the surface of a tooth or in a cavity.
The growing together or adherence of body parts that are normally separate.

accretion in Science

accretion

[ə-krē′shən]

Geology The gradual extension of land by natural forces, as in the addition of sand to a beach by ocean currents, or the extension of a floodplain through the deposition of sediments by repeated flooding.
Astronomy The accumulation of additional mass in a celestial object by the drawing together of interstellar gas and surrounding objects by gravity.