This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
accretion
[ uh-kree-shuhn ]
/ əˈkri ʃən /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between "it’s" and "its" in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 8
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of accretion
OTHER WORDS FROM accretion
ac·cre·tive, ac·cre·tion·ar·y, adjectivenon·ac·cre·tion, nounWords nearby accretion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use accretion in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for accretion
accretion
/ (əˈkriːʃən) /
noun
Derived forms of accretion
accretive or accretionary, adjectiveWord 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
Medical 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.
Scientific 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.