English
accretion
Accretion comes from Latin accrētiō ‘increase, increment’, from crēscō ‘to rise, grow, grow up’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱer-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱreh₁-sḱétireconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrēscō‘to rise, grow, grow up’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccresco‘to grow, increase’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccrētiō‘increase, increment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1627accretion
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱer-reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱreh₁-sḱétireconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcrēscō‘to rise, grow, grow up’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccresco‘to grow, increase’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEaccrētiō‘increase, increment’
- Englishearliest quotation 1627accretion
Earliest quotation: 1627, Francis [Bacon]: “[…] Plants doe nouriſh; Inanimate Bodies doe not: They…”
The story
Accrētiō is derived from accrēscō (‘to grow, increase’) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns denoting actions or processes, or their results); and accrēscō is from ac- (a variant of ad-, prefix meaning ‘to’, or having an intensifying effect) + crēscō (‘to grow; to increase’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- (‘to cause to grow; to grow; to nourish’)).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-
create, creative, creator, creature, cereal, creole, kore, procreation, creat, 26 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-sḱéti
through Latin crēscō ‘to rise, grow, grow up’
increase, increasing, decrease, crescent, increment, croissant, excrement, cru, 10 more
through Latin accresco ‘to grow, increase’
Today it means
noun Increase by natural growth, especially the gradual increase of organic bodies by the internal addition of matter; organic growth; also, the amount of such growth.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- / accretion