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accretion

[ uh-kree-shuh n ]
/ əˈkri ʃən /
|
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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. accrementition,
  2. accrescence,
  3. accrescent,
  4. accrete,
  5. accretio cordis,
  6. accretion disk,
  7. accretionary growth,
  8. accretionary wedge,
  9. accrington,
  10. accroach

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

Examples from the Web for accretion

British Dictionary definitions for accretion

accretion

/ (əˈkriːʃən) /

noun

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

accretion

n.

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for accretion

accretion

[ ə-krē′shən ]

n.

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for accretion

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.