cumulate

verb

cu·​mu·​late ˈkyü-myə-ˌlāt 

cumulated; cumulating

transitive verb

1

: to gather or pile in a heap

2

: to combine into one

3

: to build up by addition of new material

intransitive verb

: to become massed

cumulate

ˈkyü-myə-lət  -ˌlāt 

adjective

cumulation

ˌkyü-myə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

Cumulate and its far more common relative accumulate both come from the Latin word cumulare, meaning "to heap up." Cumulare, in turn, comes from cumulus, meaning "mass." (Cumulus functions as an English word in its own right as well. It can mean "heap" or "accumulation," or it can refer to a kind of dense puffy cloud with a flat base and rounded outlines.) Cumulate and accumulate overlap in meaning, but you're likely to find cumulate mostly in technical contexts. The word's related adjective, cumulative, however, is used more widely.

Examples of cumulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brigitt has four children—including a set of twins—and has cumulated over 2,000 hours (on the conservative side) of pumping time. —Jamie Spain and Rachel Rothman, goodhousekeeping.com, 10 June 2023

The two women met by chance in 2017 and their partnership has cumulated into these three political pieces. —Marina Liao, Marie Claire, 14 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

Latin cumulatus, past participle of cumulare, from cumulus mass

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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