English Explanatory Dictionary

accretion

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of matter; organic growth; also, the amount of such growth.
  2. (Gradual) increase by an external addition of matter; (countable) an instance of this.
  3. The process by which material is added to a geological feature; specifically, to a tectonic plate at a subduction zone.
  4. Followed by of: external addition of matter to a thing which causes it to grow, especially in amount or size.
  5. The process of separate particles aggregating or coalescing together; concretion; (countable) a thing formed in this manner.
  6. The formation of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies by the aggregating of matter drawn together by gravity; also, the growth of a celestial body through this process.
  7. Something gradually added to or growing on a thing externally.
  8. A substance which has built up on the surface of an object, rather than become embedded in it.
  9. Increase in property by the addition of other property to it (for example, gain of land by alluvion (“the deposition of sediment by a river or sea”) or dereliction (“recession of water from the usual watermark”), or entitlement to the products of the property such as interest on money); or by the property owner acquiring another person’s ownership rights; accession; (countable) an instance of this.
  10. Increase of an inheritance to an heir or legatee due to the share of a co-heir or co-legatee being added to it, because the latter person is legally unable to inherit the share.

Pronunciation

/əˈkɹiːʃn̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-accretion.wav ŭkrēshən /əˈkɹiʃən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-accretion.wav

Word forms

accretion accretions

Etymology

PIE word *h₂éd Learned borrowing from Latin accrētiō (“increase, increment”) + English -ion (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results). Accrētiō is derived from accrēscō (“to grow, increase”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results); and accrēscō is from ac- (a variant of ad-, prefix meaning ‘to’, or having an intensifying effect) + crēscō (“to grow; to increase”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (“to cause to grow; to grow; to nourish”)). Doublet of accrue, crescent, and increase.

Synonyms

accrescence accumulation accrual accruer

Antonyms

nonaccretion attrition erosion

Related words

accrescence accrescent accretal accrete accretive accrual accrue accruement accruer decretion secretion

Derived words

accretional accretionally accretionary accretion disc accretion disk accretion-powered pulsar accretion shock coaccretion co-accretion hyperaccretion nonaccretion oligarchic accretion reaccretion

Translations

Bulgarian: прираст Bulgarian: срастване Bulgarian: на́леп Czech: zvětšení Czech: přírůstek Dutch: accretie Dutch: vermeerdering Esperanto: alkresko Finnish: kasaantuminen Finnish: kerääntyminen Finnish: kasautuminen Finnish: kasautuma Finnish: kerääntymä French: accroissement French: accrétion German: Anwachsen German: Zuwachs Italian: accrezione Italian: accrescimento Latin: accrēsciamentum Polish: akrecja Polish: przyrost Portuguese: acreção Romanian: dezvoltare Russian: нара́щивание Russian: сраще́ние Russian: сраста́ние Spanish: acrecencia Ukrainian: наро́щування Ukrainian: зроста́ння Greek: πρόσφυση
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