What's the difference between "accrual" and "accretion"? When a friend emailed that question the other day, I figured she'd either been checking her IRA account or cleaning dead bugs off her car's windshield.
Indeed, these nouns are very similar in meaning. In fact, both derive from the Latin root "crescere" (to grow).
"Accrual" and its verb form "accrue" refer to something, usually positive, that has accumulated over the years. While it's most often used with money, e.g., "an accrual of interest," it can also refer to other assets, e.g., "the accrual of vacation time" or "the accrual of knowledge."
By contrast, "accretion" and its verb form "accrete" refer to something that has grown together or fused over time. "Accretion" most often refers to organic or natural processes, as in "the pipe was lined with an accretion of minerals," or "the delta was formed by the accretion of sediments."
But "accretion" can also be used to describe an accumulation of human activities, e.g., "Our lived-in spaces are the product of accretion, a history of fiddles and fixes." (Rich Cohen, New York Times). And "accretion" has a financial meaning as well: "a growth in earnings after an acquisition or other significant event."
So while an "accrual" is usually financial and positive, and an "accretion" is usually organic (and occasionally negative), the meanings of both words overlap.
As long as we're accruing knowledge, let's see whether you can match each of these frequently confused words with its precise meaning:
1. Expeditious; 2. Expedient:
A. Opportune, motivated by self-interest (___ stopgap); B. Prompt, speedy (___ reply)
3. Exalt; 4. Exult:
A. To rejoice exceedingly (We ___ in the victory); B. To raise in rank, to elevate (We e___ thee, O Lord)
5. Exacerbate; 6. Exasperate:
A. To make worse (___ the situation); B. To irritate a person thoroughly (___ your mom)
7. Disinterested; 8. Uninterested:
A. Not interested (___ passersby); B. Impartial, free from selfish motive (___ judge)
9. Sensuous; 10. Sensual:
A. Related to the gratification of the senses in an aesthetic sense (___ music); B. Related to gratification of the senses in a physical sense (indulge in ___ pleasure)
11. Luxuriant; 12. Luxurious:
A. Characterized by luxury (___ hotel); B. Growing abundantly, lush (___ lawn)
Answers:
1. B; 2. A; 3. B; 4. A; 5. A; 6. B; 7. B; 8. A; 9. A; 10. B; 11. B; 12. A
Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
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