acrescere

Acrescere is an Italian verb meaning to increase, to grow, or to raise in amount, degree, or quality. It can be used transitively, as in accrescere qualcosa (to increase something), and intransitively, to indicate growth or rise by itself. The term is common in formal or technical writing, including finance, statistics, and economics, as well as in everyday speech when describing gradual growth over time.

Etymology and form: the verb derives from Latin accrescere, formed with ad- (toward) and crescere (to grow). It belongs to the first-conjugation group of verbs ending in -ere. The present indicative forms include io accresco, tu accresci, lui/lei accresce, noi accresciamo, voi accrescete, loro accrescono. The past participle is accresciuto, used in compound tenses (e.g., è accresciuto).

Usage notes: accrescere is often preferred to synonyms like aumentare or crescere when the emphasis is on the process of growth or its cumulative nature. In finance or statistics it describes an increase in value, amount, or importance. Its passive or reflexive use can express growth happening to a subject, for example, il valore è accresciuto, l’interesse è accresciuto dal nuovo contesto.

Examples:

- Le vendite hanno accresciuto i profitti quest’anno.

- Il valore delle azioni si è accresciuto notevolmente.

- L’interesse verso l’opera è accresciuto dall’innovazione stilistica.

Related terms include crescere, aumentare, e incrementare. In everyday language, accrescere tends to convey a sense of progressive enlargement rather than a one-time spike.