English

Verb

accrete ‎(third-person singular simple present accretes, present participle accreting, simple past and past participle accreted)

1. (intransitive) To grow together, combine; to fuse.

   Astronomers believe the Earth began to accrete more than 4.6 billion billion years ago.

   • 2014 September 7, Natalie Angier, “The Moon comes around again [print version: Revisiting a moon that still has secrets to reveal: Supermoon revives interest in its violent origins and hidden face, International New York Times, 10 September 2014, p. 8]”, in The New York Times:

     According to the reigning hypothesis, about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earth had accreted down into a sphere from its little slub of circumsolar material, another newborn planet [Theia], still shaky on its feet, slammed obliquely into Earth with terrifying force.

2. (intransitive) To adhere; to grow or to be added to gradually.
3. (transitive) To make adhere; to add; to make larger or more, as by growing.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Earle to this entry?)

Usage notes

• (to fuse): Used with the word to.

Translations

Adjective

accrete ‎(not comparable)

1. Characterized by accretion; made up; as, accrete matter.
2. (botany) Grown together

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Gray to this entry?)

Translations

Related terms

• accrescence
• accrescent
• accretion
• accretive

Latin

Participle

accrēte

1. vocative masculine singular of accrētus