Accumulate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accumulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Accumulating.]
Etymology: [L. accumulatus, p. p. of accumulare; ad + cumulare to heap. See Cumulate.]
To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together; to amass; as, to accumulate a sum of money.
Syn. -- To collect; pile up; store; amass; gather; aggregate; heap together; hoard.
2 other Webster entries under this spelling
Accumulate, v. i.
To grow or increase in quantity or number; to increase greatly. Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. Goldsmith.
Accumulate, a.
Collected; accumulated. Bacon.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for accumulate; he lists it under amass.
Where he writes about it:
With some occasional exceptions, accumulate is applied to the more gradual, amass to the more rapid gathering of money or materials, amass referring to the general result or bulk, accumulate to the particular process or rate of gain. — from amass