Accretion vs. Accumulation: What's the Difference?

Accretion and Accumulation Definitions
Accretion
Growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion.
Accumulation
The act of gathering or amassing, as into a heap or pile
"Little things grew by continual accumulation" (Samuel Johnson).
Accretion
Something contributing to such growth or increase
"the accretions of paint that had buried the door's details like snow" (Christopher Andreae).
Accumulation
The process of growing into a large amount or heap
The steady accumulation of knowledge.
Accretion
(Biology) The growing together or adherence of parts that are normally separate.
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Accumulation
An amount that has accumulated or been accumulated
An accumulation of debt.
Accretion
Slow addition to land by deposition of water-borne sediment.
Accumulation
The act of amassing or gathering, as into a pile.
Accretion
An increase of land along the shores of a body of water, as by alluvial deposit.
Accumulation
The process of growing into a heap or a large amount.
An accumulation of earth, of sand, of evils, of wealth, or of honors
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Accretion
(Astronomy) An increase in the mass of a celestial object by its gravitational capture of surrounding interstellar material.
Accumulation
A mass of something piled up or collected.
Accretion
The act of increasing by natural growth; especially the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth.
Accumulation
(legal) The concurrence of several titles to the same proof.
Accretion
The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition.
An accretion of earth
A mineral augments not by growth, but by accretion.
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Accumulation
(accounting) The continuous growth of capital by retention of interest or savings.
Accretion
Something added externally to promote the external growth of an item.
Accumulation
(finance) The action of investors buying an asset from other investors when the price of the asset is low.
Accretion
Concretion; coherence of separate particles.
The accretion of particles to form a solid mass
Accumulation
The practice of taking two higher degrees simultaneously, to reduce the length of study.
Accretion
(biology) A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes.
Accumulation
The act of accumulating, the state of being accumulated, or that which is accumulated; as, an accumulation of earth, of sand, of evils, of wealth, of honors.
Accretion
(geology) The gradual increase of land by deposition of water-borne sediment.
Accumulation
The concurrence of several titles to the same proof.
Accretion
(legal) 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 sail from the sea or a river, or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark.
Accumulation
An increase by natural growth or addition
Accretion
(legal) Gain to an heir or legatee; failure of a coheir to the same succession, or a co-legatee of the same thing, to take his share percentage.
Accumulation
Several things grouped together or considered as a whole
Accretion
(astrophysics) The formation of planets and other bodies by collection of material through gravity.
Accumulation
The act of accumulating
Accretion
The act of increasing by natural growth; esp. the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth.
Accumulation
(finance) profits that are not paid out as dividends but are added to the capital base of the corporation
Accretion
The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition; as, an accretion of earth.
A mineral . . . augments not by growth, but by accretion.
To strip off all the subordinate parts of his narrative as a later accretion.
Accretion
Concretion; coherence of separate particles; as, the accretion of particles so as to form a solid mass.
Accretion
A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes.
Accretion
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.
Accretion
An increase by natural growth or addition
Accretion
Something contributing to growth or increase;
He scraped away the accretions of paint
The central city surrounded by recent accretions
Accretion
(astronomy) the formation of a celestial object by the effect of gravity pulling together surrounding objects and gases
Accretion
(biology) growth by addition as by the adhesion of parts or particles
Accretion
(geology) an increase in land resulting from alluvial deposits or water-borne sediment
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)