Standard Lemma guide

cumulate

adj · noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkjuːmjʊlət/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkjuː.mjʊˌleɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈkju.mjəˌleɪt/

1

adj

Meaning 1

Accumulated; agglomerated; amassed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An igneous rock formed by the accumulation of crystals from a magma by either settling or floating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To accumulate; to amass.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: amass, heap up, see Thesaurus:pile up

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To be accumulated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

Alternative form of cumulated, past participle of cumulate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

collect or gather

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Journals are accumulating in my office
  • The work keeps piling up

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accumulate, conglomerate, pile up, gather, amass

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

Narrower terms: backlog, accrete, drift

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh1- Proto-Indo-European *ḱuh1mósder.? Latin cumulus Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin cumulō Latin cumulātusbor. English cumulate First attested in 1534; borrowed from Latin cumulātus, perfect passive participle of cumulō (“to pile up”), see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Sporadic use of the participle up until Early Modern English.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: натрупан (natrupan) — accumulated
  • Bulgarian: събран (sǎbran) — accumulated
  • Bulgarian: натрупвам (natrupvam) — accumulate
  • Bulgarian: трупам (trupam) — accumulate
  • Bulgarian: събирам (sǎbiram) — accumulate
  • German: kumulieren — accumulate
  • German: kumulieren — be accumulated