Added 9 October 2026

accumulate

/əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/ verb

In Latin: accumulō, cumulō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about accumulate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together (either literally or figuratively), often gradually and without active intent.
He wishes to accumulate a sum of money.
To gradually grow or increase in quantity or number.
With her company going bankrupt, her divorce, and a gambling habit, debts started to accumulate so she had to sell her house.
To take a higher degree at the same time with a lower degree, or at a shorter interval than usual.

First attested c. 1487; from Middle English accumylaten, borrowed from Latin accumulātus, perfect passive participle of accumulō (“to amass, pile up”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), formed from ad (“to, towards, at”) + cumulō (“to heap”), from cumulus (“a heap”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). Cognate with French accumuler.