| n. | 1. | |
| 1. | The act of increasing by natural growth; esp. the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth. | |
| 2. | The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition; | |
| 3. | Concretion; coherence of separate particles; | |
| 4. | A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes. | |
| 5. | (Law) The adhering of property to something else, by which the owner of one thing becomes possessed of a right to another; generally, gain of land by the washing up of sand or soil from the sea or a river, or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark. |
| Noun | 1. | accretion - an increase by natural growth or addition Synonyms: accumulation |
| 2. | accretion - something contributing to growth or increase; "he scraped away the accretions of paint"; "the central city surrounded by recent accretions" | |
| 3. | accretion - (astronomy) the formation of a celestial object by the effect of gravity pulling together surrounding objects and gases | |
| 4. | accretion - (biology) growth by addition as by the adhesion of parts or particles | |
| 5. | accretion - (geology) an increase in land resulting from alluvial deposits or water-borne sediment | |
| 6. | accretion - (law) an increase in a beneficiary's share in an estate (as when a co-beneficiary dies or fails to meet some condition or rejects the inheritance) |
ACCRETION. The increase of land by the washing of the seas or rivers. Hale, De Jure Maris, 14. Vide Alluvion; Avulsion.
addition, gain, increase