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ac·cu·mu·late

(ə-kymyə-lāt′)

v. ac·cu·mu·lat·ed, ac·cu·mu·lat·ing, ac·cu·mu·lates

v.tr.

1. To gather or cause to increase; amass: We accumulated enough wood for a fire. Nearly all bank accounts accumulate interest.

2. To be the site for (a gradually increasing mass), especially as a result of disuse or neglect: Those old books are accumulating dust.

v.intr.

To mount or pile up; increase: Snow is accumulating on the roads. See Synonyms at gather.

[Latin accumulāre, accumulāt- : ad-, ad- + cumulāre, to pile up (from cumulus, heap; see keuə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

ac·cumu·la·ble (-lə-bəl) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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