Accumule

Accumule is a form of the French verb accumuler, meaning to gather, pile up, or increase by addition. Specifically, accumule can be the third-person singular present indicative form (il/elle accumule) or the informal second-person singular imperative form (accumule!, used to tell someone to accumulate). The infinitive is accumuler.

Etymology traces accumuler to Latin accumulare, from ad- “toward” and cumulus “a heap.” Through Old French, the term entered Modern French as a verb meaning to bring together or to increase by collecting.

Usage and sense

Accumulate is used across a range of contexts. In everyday language it often refers to collecting objects, data, or resources: Il accumule des pièces de collection. It can describe the gradual increase of quantities, such as money, points, or evidence: Elle accumule des preuves au fil des investigations, Il accumule des intérêts sur son compte. In grammar and linguistics, accumuler appears in various tenses and moods, with the passé composé typically formed with avoir: il a accumulé; future: il accumulera.

Related terms

The noun accumul on its own is less common, but related forms include accumulateur (accumulator) in mathematics and computing, and accumulation (accumulation) in contexts like finance, science, and daily life.

See also

accumulated, accumulation, accumulative, accumulator.

Note

As with many French verbs, accumule may appear in different grammatical roles within a sentence, including as part of a command, a statement about ongoing action, or a description of a completed action when combined with appropriate auxiliary verbs.