v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accumulated p. pr. & vb. n. Accumulating. ] [ L. accumulatus, p. p. of accumulare; ad + cumulare to heap. See Cumulate. ] To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together; to amass; as, to accumulate a sum of money. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To collect; pile up; store; amass; gather; aggregate; heap together; hoard. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To grow or increase in quantity or number; to increase greatly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accumulatus, p. p. of accumulare. ] Collected; accumulated. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 brought together into a group or crowd the accumulated letters in my office
Syn. -- assembled, collected, congregate, massed [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. accumulatio; cf. F. accumulation. ] 1. 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The concurrence of several titles to the same proof. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accumulation of energy or
power, the storing of energy by means of weights lifted or masses put in motion; electricity stored. --
An accumulation of degrees (Eng. Univ.), the taking of several together, or at smaller intervals than usual or than is allowed by the rules. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Characterized by accumulation; serving to collect or amass; cumulative; additional. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ly, adv. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. One who, or that which, accumulates, collects, or amasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mech.) An apparatus by means of which energy or power can be stored, such as the cylinder or tank for storing water for hydraulic elevators, the secondary or storage battery used for accumulating the energy of electrical charges, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A system of elastic springs for relieving the strain upon a rope, as in deep-sea dredging. [ 1913 Webster ]