Accumulated or built up over time, especially referring to interest, expenses, or benefits that have been earned but not yet paid or received. In accounting, it describes amounts that are owed or earned but haven't been settled.
From French 'accroître' meaning 'to increase' or 'grow,' which comes from Latin 'accrescere' (ad- 'to' + crescere 'to grow'). The financial sense developed in the 17th century as accounting practices formalized the concept of tracking obligations over time.
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