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.

Nearby words

accrementition, accrescence, accrescent, accrete, accretio cordis, accretion, accretion disk, accretionary growth, accretionary wedge, accrington, 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 forms

ac·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

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The accretion of interest groups is not a uniquely American problem.
So What Would I Do About China?|David Frum|August 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The more massive earth has in its development throughout time robbed the less massive moon in the gradual process of accretion.
Astronomy|David Todd
Many formations are divided into separate strata, as though the process of accretion had been periodically interrupted.
The Popular Science Monthly, August, 1900|Various
Growth alone is the result of accretion, the accumulation of material, the amassing of stuff.
The Vitality of 'Mormonism'|James E. Talmage
It's calcareous tufa I'm a-wearing, wove on me by exudation and accretion in the past two thousand years.
Tales of the Chesapeake|George Alfred Townsend
The only difficulty in this accretion is to secure debtors that will not die.
Usury|Calvin Elliott

British Dictionary definitions for accretion

accretion

/ (əˈkriːʃən) /

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

abnormal union or growing together of parts; adhesion
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 Forms

accretive 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

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.

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.

accretion

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of accretion

Related forms

Examples from the Web for accretion

British Dictionary definitions for accretion

accretion

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for accretion

Medicine definitions for accretion

accretion

n.

Science definitions for accretion

accretion