What does "concretion" mean?

The process of aggregating or coalescing into a mass.

Concretion

Common synonyms include: adherence, agglomeration, agglutination, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis, block.

noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Noun

1
The process of aggregating or coalescing into a mass. countable, uncountable
2
the union of diverse things into one body or form or group; the growing together of parts wordnet
3
A solid, hard mass formed by a process of aggregation or coalescence. countable, uncountable
4
an increase in the density of something wordnet
5
A rounded mass of a mineral, sometimes found in sedimentary rock or on the ocean floor. countable, uncountable
"Of the three beds, the central one is the most compact, and more like ordinary sandstone: it includes numerous flattened spherical concretions."

Show 3 more definitions

6
a hard lump produced by the concretion of mineral salts; found in hollow organs or ducts of the body wordnet
7
The action of making something concrete or the result of such an action. countable, uncountable
""My new statue!" said Kenyon. . . . "It is the concretion of a good deal of thought, emotion, and toil of brain and hand.""
8
the formation of stonelike objects within a body organ (e.g., the kidneys) wordnet

"Of the three beds, the central one is the most compact, and more like ordinary sandstone: it includes numerous flattened spherical concretions."

Borrowed from French concrétion, or Latin concretio.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.