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Glite Dictionary
accretionary

accretionary

9.6
Relating to slow growth by adding material from outside, like layers of rock
  • adjective
  • /əˈkrɛʃənˌɛri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acrecional
  • The research paper described how the species evolved through an accretionary process, gradually adapting to its environment.

Examples

  • The geologist explained that the formation of the mountain range was due to accretionary events over millions of years.

  • And it's a very accretionary enterprise.

  • PGS suggests that the Mediterranean Ridge near Crete is a productive accretionary prism.

    Blog text (30)

  • Physical anthropology, like all sciences, is accretionary; each new discovery is the foundation for subsequent research that addresses fresh topics or deals with earlier topics from a different perspective.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The accretionary nature of knowledge means that every new discovery builds upon previous findings.

Synonyms

accumulative
vsaccretionary
1 5.5

Becoming larger because people add things over time

focuses on growth from external additions rather than simple collecting
accretive
vsaccretionary
  • Specialized
1 9.1

Making something grow slowly by gathering more material or value

is about resulting from gradual external addition across contexts

How Much

substantial
7 5.0
accretionary
  • Specialized
9.6
slight
594 1.2

Surface Forms

accretionary positive

Morphology

accretionary = accretion (transparent) = accretion + ary

The adjective is a straightforward relational formation from the noun 'accretion' using the productive suffix '-ary'.

Etymology

Accretionary comes from the Latin parts ad- 'to' and crescere 'to grow', the same root you see in increase. It describes things that grow by slowly adding more on the outside, so an accretionary wedge or planet is made by many small additions over time.