Decrease and Accretion

noun

• A change downward.
  • usage: "there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales"
  • synonyms: lessening, drop-off
• A process of becoming smaller or shorter.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The amount by which something decreases.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The act of decreasing or reducing something.
  • synonyms: diminution, reduction, step-down

verb

• Decrease in size, extent, or range.
  • usage: "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
  • synonyms: diminish, lessen, fall
• Make smaller.
  • usage: "He decreased his staff"
  • synonyms: lessen, minify

• (v.t.) To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as, extravagance decreases one's means.
• (v.) A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease of revenue or of strength.
• (n.) To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc. or in strength, quality or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December.
• (v.) The wane of the moon.

noun

• An increase by natural growth or addition.
  • synonyms: accumulation
• Something contributing to growth or increase.
  • usage: "he scraped away the accretions of paint"; "the central city surrounded by recent accretions"
• Astronomy) the formation of a celestial object by the effect of gravity pulling together surrounding objects and gases. (
• Biology) growth by addition as by the adhesion of parts or particles. (
• Geology) an increase in land resulting from alluvial deposits or waterborne sediment. (
• Law) an increase in a beneficiary's share in an estate (as when a co-beneficiary dies or fails to meet some condition or rejects the inheritance. ().

• (n.) The act of increasing by natural growth; especially the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth.
• (n.) The act of increasing or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition; as, an accretion of earth.
• (n.) Concretion; coherence of separate particles; as, the accretion of particles so as to form a solid mass.
• (n.) A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers toes.
• (n.) The adhering of property to something else, by which the owner of one thing becomes possessed of a right to another; generally, gain of land by the washing up of sand or sail from the sea or a river or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark.
• (n.) Gain to an heir or legatee, failure of a coheir to the same succession or a co-legatee of the same thing, to take his share.

accretion is the increase or addition of land by the deposit of sand or soil washed up naturally from a river, lake or sea. The gradual and imperceptible addition of land by alluvial deposits of soil through natural causes, such as shoreline movement caused by streams or rivers. This added land upon a bank or stream, navigable or not, becomes the property of the riparian or littoral owner, and it also becomes subject to any existing mortgages.