I. -ˌlāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin accumulatus, past participle of accumulare, from ad- + cumulare to heap up — more at cumulate
transitive verb
: to heap up in a mass : pile up
the sands then had their own way, and accumulated the barrier which now exists between the two rivers — Douglas Carruthers
they … accumulate blame upon the conditions imposed on them by fate — A.C.Benson
: amass
accumulated a fortune as a tea planter
: collect , gather
true poetry accumulates meaning every time it is read — C.D.Lewis
dismantled the spinning wheel and carried it to the attic to accumulate antiquity — John Gould
intransitive verb
: to grow or increase in quantity or number
where wealth accumulates and men decay — Oliver Goldsmith
snow accumulated to a depth of 10 feet
Synonyms:
amass , hoard : accumulate suggests a gradual piling up or increasing so as to make a store or great quantity
to accumulate dust
he who accumulates objects of value — Herbert Spencer
accumulated major collections of important Arabic manuscripts — American Council of Learned Society Newsletter
to accumulate wisdom
amass stresses the size, especially the great size, of the accumulation, usually of things of value; it may imply rather rapid acquisition
great wealth was amassed through steel, railroad, coal, and other industries — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania
scientific knowledge, painstakingly amassed by many devotees over an extended period of human history — F.A.Geldard
hoard always implies a holding or storing up after acquisition, and usually concealment, sometimes suggesting miserly retention
hoarding money is not a safe way of saving — G.B.Shaw
some delicacy that has been hoarded for weeks is brought forth for a guest — Maeanna Cheserton-Mangle
newspapermen, hoarding their eloquent comments for their own typewriters — Leonard Lyons
II. -_lə̇t, -ˌlāt adjective
Etymology: Latin accumulatus
: heaped or piled up : accumulated