concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən 

kən-

1

: something concreted: such as

a

: a hard usually inorganic mass (such as a bezoar or tophus) formed in a living body

b

: a mass of mineral matter found generally in rock of a composition different from its own and produced by deposition from aqueous solution in the rock

2

: the act or process of concreting : the state of being concreted

concretion of ideas in a hypothesis

concretionary

kän-ˈkrē-shə-ˌner-ē 

kən-

adjective

Examples of concretion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These aren't boulders deposited there by the tide, but rather sandstone concretions (masses of sandstone formed around a shell or rock) that were revealed as the coastline eroded. — Adeline Duff, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2026

In a few cases, multiple individuals were preserved together in the same concretion, indicating that these animals may have remained in groups for some time after hatching. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2026

One display shows two Georgia O’Keeffe paintings and a Helen Torr canvas side-by-side with a large septarian nodule (a geological concretion combining mudstone, limestone, and other minerals) that plainly resembles the artworks. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026

Many items also arrive encased in dense concretions — hard layers of rust, minerals, and marine growth — which must be painstakingly removed under a microscope, sometimes over the course of months or years. — Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin concrētiōn-, concrētiō "formation into something solid," from concrē-, stem of concrēscere "to coalesce, condense, solidify, harden" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at concrescence

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for concretion

• accretion
• completion
• deletion
• depletion
• excretion
• repletion
• secretion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Kids Definition

concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən 

kən-

1

: a hard usually inorganic mass formed in a living body

2

: a lump or egg-shaped mass of mineral matter found in rock of different composition

Medical Definition

concretion

noun

con·​cre·​tion kän-ˈkrē-shən, kən- 

: a hard usually inorganic mass (as a tophus) formed especially from mineral salts in a living body