Addicioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process of joining or combining numbers or objects to make a larger total ; an extra part or item that is put onto something already existing
2. Combining figures or items into a single sum ; a supplement or new element attached to what was there before
3. Bringing together quantities to increase a total ; a thing that is introduced as an extension or enlargement of something else

Etymology: Medieval English scribes wrote this as "addicioun," a spelling that shows the word arrived through French rather than directly from Latin. It is the Middle English form of "addition," and the English "addition" was later respelled to match its Latin source. The word comes from Old French "addicion," which took it from the Latin "additio," a noun built from "addere," meaning "to put to" or "to place on." The Latin verb is itself made of "ad," meaning "to" or "toward," and "dare," meaning "to put or give." So the core idea behind arithmetic addition is physical: placing one thing onto another.