amasser

Amasser is a French verb that means to accumulate, gather, or pile up. It can apply to physical objects, quantities, or more abstract things such as wealth, data, or experiences. The nuance often implies deliberate, gradual buildup over time and can carry neutral or evaluative tones depending on context.

Etymology and usage notes: amasser derives from the noun masse (mass, lump) with the verb-forming suffix -er. It is used both transitively and intransitively. Transitive: amasser des pierres, des richesses, des preuves; intransitive: la foule s’est amassée devant le stade. The verb frequently appears in contexts such as collecting funds, gathering information, or building a collection, as well as describing crowds.

Common collocations and meanings include amasser des fonds (to raise or accumulate funds), amasser des données (to collect data), amasser une fortune (to amass a fortune), and amasser des connaissances (to accumulate knowledge). In everyday language, amasser often conveys a sense of accumulation by repeated action over time, in contrast with synonyms like rassembler (to assemble) or accumuler (to accumulate, sometimes with a broader sense of stockpiling).

Conjugation note: amasser is a regular -er verb. For example, present tense forms are: j’amasse, tu amasses, il/elle amasse, nous amassons, vous amassez, ils/elles amassent. The past participle is amassé, and standard compound tenses are formed with avoir. This versatility makes amasser usable across factual reporting, narrative description, and academic writing.