Bioaccumulated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Gathered chemical substances or pollutants progressively within living organisms over an extended period
2. Collected toxins or compounds inside an organism gradually, increasing in concentration over time
3. Accumulated materials such as harmful chemicals in the bodies of living things as they absorb them from the environment

Etymology: The past form of a verb that combines "bio-", from Ancient Greek "bios" meaning "life", with "accumulate". The core of the word is the older verb "accumulate", which traces back through Latin "accumulare", meaning "to heap up", built from "ad-" ("to") and "cumulus" ("heap"). English took it from that Latin root and it appears in Middle English as "accumylaten". "Bio-" is a prefix formed from the Greek element "bio-", meaning "life". Put together, "bioaccumulate" describes substances that build up inside living bodies, not merely in the surrounding environment. The verb is made from a Greek prefix attached to a Latin-derived verb, a combination typical of modern scientific vocabulary, so its formation is a deliberate technical one rather than an old inherited term.