accretion
[ uh-kree-shuh n ]
/ əˈkri ʃən /
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.
Origin of accretion
OTHER WORDS FROM accretion
ac·cre·tive, ac·cre·tion·ar·y, adjective non·ac·cre·tion, noun non·ac·cre·tive, adjectiveWords nearby accretion
Example sentences from the Web for accretion
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
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.
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.