An archaic term meaning to increase or grow; to make something greater in size or amount.
From Old French 'acreistre', combining 'a-' (to) with 'creistre' (to grow), which itself comes from Latin 'crescere' (to grow). Over time, the prefix 'ac-' merged with the root, creating a single verb form.
This word is the forgotten grandparent of 'increase'—English speakers eventually dropped the 'a-' prefix and created 'crease' then 'increase', showing how language simplifies over centuries by dropping old prefixes that lose their meaning.
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