accretion

Origin:
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, adjective

non·ac·cre·tion, noun

non·ac·cre·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To accretion

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Collins

World English Dictionary

accretion (əˈkriːʃən)

—n
1.	any gradual increase in size, as through growth or external addition
2.	something added, esp extraneously, to cause growth or an increase in size
3.	the growing together of normally separate plant or animal parts
4.	pathol
	a. abnormal union or growing together of parts; adhesion
	b. a mass of foreign matter collected in a cavity
5.	law an increase in the share of a beneficiary in an estate, as when a co-beneficiary fails to take his share
6.	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
7.	geology the process in which a continent is enlarged by the tectonic movement and deformation of the earth's crust

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

ac'cretive

—*adj*

ac'cretionary

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

accretion

1610s, from L. accretionem (nom. accretio, gen. accretionis) "a growing larger," from pp. stem of accrescere, from ad- "to" + crescere "grow" (see crescent).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

accretion ac·cre·tion (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. Also called 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.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

accretion

(ə-krē'shən) Pronunciation Key

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.

Example sentences

The gradual accretion of knowledge is the way to go.

Gravity pulls gases together to form the accretion disk that becomes our solar system.

Planets form from material in this disk, through accretion of smaller particles.

The material settles around the pulsar's middle in a so-called accretion disk.

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Related Words

accrete accretion disk accrual

accrual accrue

Matching Quote

"It doesn't matter that your painting is small. Kopecks are also small, but when a lot are put together they make a ruble. Each painting displayed in a gallery and each good book that makes it into a library, no matter how small they may be, serves a great cause: accretion of the national wealth."

-Anton Pavlovich Chekhov