Main Entry: cu·mu·la·tive

Pronunciation: \ˈkyü-myə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā-\

Function: adjective

Date: 1605

1 a : made up of accumulated parts b : increasing by successive additions
2 : tending to prove the same point <cumulative evidence>
3 a : taking effect upon completion of another penal sentence <a cumulative sentence> b : increasing in severity with repetition of the offense <cumulative penalty>
4 : formed by the addition of new material of the same kind <a cumulative book index>
5 : summing or integrating overall data or values of a random variable less than or less than or equal to a specified value <cumulative normal distribution> <cumulative frequency distribution>

— cu·mu·la·tive·ly adverb

— cu·mu·la·tive·ness noun