adj.
Pronunciation: ' kyü-my ə -l ə -tiv, - ˌ l ā -
Function: adjective
Date: 1605
1 a : made up of accumulated parts b : increasing by successive additions
2 : tending to prove the same point < cumulative evidence>
3 a : taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence <a cumulative sentence> b : increasing in severity with repetition of the offense < cumulative penalty>
4 : formed by the addition of new material of the same kind <a cumulative book index>
5 : summing or integrating overall data or values of a random variable less than or less than or equal to a specified value < cumulative normal distribution> < cumulative frequency distribution>
– cu · mu · la · tive · ly adverb
– cu · mu · la · tive · ness noun