accretion

ac·cre·tion

Use accretion in a sentence

noun

Accretion is defined as the part of something that has been added.
An example of an accretion is the garage someone may build on his home.
The definition of accretion is the state of having gone through extension or addition of length or overall size.
An example of accretion is a extra part of a fairy tale added over many years of re-telling.
Accretion means an extension or addition of length or overall size.
An example of an accretion is when a highway is lengthened.

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accretion

growth in size, esp. by addition or accumulation
a growing together of parts normally separate
accumulated matter: the accretion of earth on the shore
a part added separately; addition
a whole resulting from such growth or accumulation
Law the addition of soil to land by gradual, natural deposits

Origin of accretion

Classical Latin accretio from accrescere, to increase from ad-, to + crescere, to grow: see crescent

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accretion

noun

a. Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion.
b. Something contributing to such growth or increase: “the accretions of paint that had buried the door's details like snow” ( Christopher Andreae )
Biology The growing together or adherence of parts that are normally separate.
Geology
a. Slow addition to land by deposition of water-borne sediment.
b. An increase of land along the shores of a body of water, as by alluvial deposit.
Astronomy An increase in the mass of a celestial object by its gravitational capture of surrounding interstellar material.

Origin of accretion

Latin accrētiō accrētiōn- from accrētus past participle of accrēscere to grow ; see accrue .

Related Forms:

ac·cre′tion·ar′y ac·cre′tive
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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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.

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Noun

(plural accretions)

The act of increasing by natural growth; especially the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth.
The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition; as, an accretion of earth.
A mineral ... augments not by growth, but by accretion.
Something added externally to promote growth the external growth of an item.
concretion; coherence of separate particles; as, the accretion of particles so as to form a solid mass.
(biology) A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes.
(geology) The gradual increase of land by deposition of water-borne sediment.
(law) The adhering of property to something else, by which the owner of one thing becomes possessed of a right to another; generally, gain of land by the washing up of sand or sail from the sea or a river, or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark.
(law) Gain to an heir or legatee, failure of a coheir to the same succession, or a co-legatee of the same thing, to take his share.

Related terms

accretion disk
accrete

Origin

First attested in the 1610's.
From Latin accretio, from ad (“to”) + crēscō (“grow”).
Compare crescent, increase, accrue

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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accretion - Legal Definition

n

In property law, the gradual increase in land through natural processes; for example, the creation of land caused by the deposit of sediment on a shoreline of a river or ocean. The new land becomes the property of the owner of the property to which it is attached. See also alluvion, reliction, and avulsion.
In succession law, the increase in an heir or legatee’s interest in property when a co-heir or co-legatee dies before the property vests, rejects his inheritance or legacy, fails to comply with a condition to be met before vesting, or otherwise becomes incapable of taking the property.