WORD FOR THE DAY: ACERVATION

Your word for today is: acervation, n.

acervation, n.

[‘The action of forming something into a mass or of piling something up in a heap or heaps; accumulation. Also: a heap, a mass.’]

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌasəːˈveɪʃn/,  U.S. /ˌæsərˈveɪʃ(ə)n/

Forms:  16 aceruation,   16– acervation. 

Etymology: <  classical Latin acervātiōn-, acervātiō action of heaping up or piling together, accumulation <  acervāt-, past participial stem of acervāre acervate v. + -iō -ion suffix¹. Compare earlier coacervation n.

  The action of forming something into a mass or of piling something up in a heap or heaps; accumulation. Also: a heap, a mass.

1614  T. Lodge tr. Seneca Naturall Questions ii. ii, in Wks. 778 Is it to bee doubted that amongst these bodies which both wee see and handle, which are eyther felt or feele, but that there are some compound? These are such by connexion or aceruation [L.acervatione], as for example, a rope, corne, or a shippe.

1663 Bullokar's Eng. Expositor (rev. ed.), Acervation, a gathering into heaps.

1755  Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. at Aggregate, The complex or collective result of the conjunction or acervation of many particulars.

1762  tr. S. de Monchy Ess. Causes & Cure Usual Diseases vi. 99 That too great an acervation of excrementitious matter feeds the putrefaction in malignant Fevers.

1794  R. J. Sulivan View of Nature II. 106 The deposition and acervation of oily, greasy parts of marine substances.

1823  Conybeare in Buckland's Reliq. Diluv. 196 These accumulations..sometimes by their acervation constitute decided hills

1905 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 24 52 This is not a case of ‘acervation of terms’, but of bald definition.

1977  ‘E. Crispin’ Glimpses of Moon v. 79 The unwieldy acervation of objects he had acquired.

1996  B. Humphries Women in Background i. 5 Around the room comfortable, loose-covered chairs and sofas were disposed, on which an acervation of people were perched, seated and sprawled.

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