# accumulation

Pronunciation: say "uh-kyoo-myuh-LAY-shuhn" /əˌkjuːm.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/

## Noun

1. A mass of things that have been piled up or gathered together.
   - Simple: A pile of things that have been collected or built up over time.
   - _The accumulation of debris in the gutter caused water to overflow._
   - _Geologists studied the thick accumulation of sediment at the riverbed._
2. The act of amassing or gathering things together, as into a pile.
   - Simple: The act of gathering or collecting things together into a pile.
   - _Rapid accumulation of supplies began as the storm approached._
   - _The accumulation of evidence took the detectives several months._
3. The process by which something grows into a heap or a large amount.
   - Simple: The way something slowly grows into a heap or a large amount.
   - _The gradual accumulation of plaque can lead to heart disease._
   - _Scientists tracked the accumulation of greenhouse gases over decades._
4. In economics, the steady increase of capital that comes from keeping interest or savings rather than spending them.
   - Simple: The slow growth of money as interest and savings are kept and added over time.
   - _Compound interest drives the accumulation of capital over long periods._
   - _The fund relies on the steady accumulation of reinvested earnings._
5. The action of investors buying an asset from other investors while its price is low.
   - Simple: When investors buy an asset from others while its price is low.
   - _Analysts noticed heavy accumulation of the stock during the downturn._
   - _The fund's quiet accumulation of undervalued shares paid off when prices recovered._
6. The concurrence of several legal titles resting on the same proof.
   - Simple: In law, when several legal claims all depend on the same proof.
   - _The court examined an accumulation of titles that all rested on the same conveyance._
   - _Counsel argued that the accumulation of claims relied entirely on one contested document._
7. In university education, the practice of studying for two higher degrees at once in order to shorten the overall time spent studying. *(UK)*
   - Simple: The practice of studying for two higher degrees at the same time to finish sooner.
   - _Through accumulation, the scholar received his master's and doctorate at the same ceremony._
   - _Accumulation allowed established clergymen to gain a second degree without years of further residence._

## Origin

First attested in the late 15th century, it comes from Middle English "acumulacyon", from Middle French "accumulation" and its source, Latin "accumulātiō". By surface analysis it breaks down as "accumulate" plus "-ion", and it is a doublet of "accumulatio".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/accumulation (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).