cumulativa

Cumulativa is the feminine form of the adjective cumulativo in Portuguese and Spanish, meaning something that accumulates or has accumulated over time. The term derives from Latin cumulativus, from cumulare “to heap up.” In both languages cumulativa functions as a descriptive label for processes, results, or quantities that increase by aggregation.

In statistics and probability, the corresponding concept is often expressed with the phrase acumulada or acumulativa in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively. The cumulative distribution function provides the probability that a random variable is less than or equal to a value; similarly, cumulative frequency or counts refer to running totals of observed data.

In education, nota cumulativa or avaliação cumulativa denotes a grading approach where the final mark results from the sum of multiple assessments across a term or course, rather than a single exam.

In computing and data analysis, soma cumulativa or soma acumulada describes the running total of a sequence, a common operation in spreadsheets, databases, and algorithms. The term appears in time-series analysis, reporting dashboards, and financial calculations to emphasize buildup over time.

Cumulativa thus serves as a versatile descriptor across disciplines, signaling accumulation, aggregation, or progressive buildup of quantities, effects, or results.