[n] (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] an increase by natural growth or addition
[n] (geology) an increase in land resulting from alluvial deposits or water-borne sediment
[n] (biology) growth by addition as by the adhesion of parts or particles
[n] (astronomy) the formation of a celestial object by the effect of gravity pulling together surrounding objects and gases
[n] something contributing to growth or increase; "he scraped away the accretions of paint"; "the central city surrounded by recent accretions"