The quality or property of increasing or growing by addition over time, where each addition builds on what came before.
From Latin 'cumulatus' (heaped up) plus English '-ive' (having the quality of) plus '-ness' (state of being). The root 'cumulus' meant pile or heap, and the word evolved to describe things that gather or accumulate progressively.
This word perfectly describes how compound interest works—money doesn't just grow in a straight line, it builds cumulatively, with each cycle adding to the previous total. That's why Einstein supposedly called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world!
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