Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “accrue” come from?

Accrue comes from Middle English acrewen, from Old French acreue and accreistre meaning "to increase," from Latin accresco "to grow toward," formed from the prefix ad- and the root cresco "to grow," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂éd.

accrue (English): To increase, to rise; to reach or come to by way...

Definitions

  1. To increase, to rise; to reach or come to by way...

Ancestry of “accrue”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishacrewen—
2Old Frenchacreue—
3Old FrenchaccreistreTo increase
4Latinaccrēscō—
5Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
6Latinīn-—
7Latinîn—
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “accrue”

  • accrual
  • accruable
  • nonaccrual
  • accruement
  • accruer
  • accrueth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →