accession

1 of 2

noun

ac·​ces·​sion ik-ˈse-shən 

ak-

1

a

: the act or process by which someone rises to a position of honor or power

the accession of a new queen

a politician's accession to power

Queen Victoria's accession to the throne/crown occurred in 1837.

b

: an act of coming near or to something : approach, admittance

2

: something added : acquisition

the museum's latest accessions

3

a

: increase by something added

b

: acquisition of additional property (as by growth or increase of existing property)

4

: the act of assenting or agreeing

5

a

: the act of becoming joined : adherence

b

: the act by which one nation becomes party to an agreement already in force between other powers

6

: a sudden fit or outburst : access

accessional

ik-ˈsesh-nəl 

-ˈse-shə-nᵊl

ak-

adjective

accession

2 of 2

verb

accessioned; accessioning; accessions

transitive verb

: to record in order of acquisition

Each book in the library had been carefully accessioned.

Synonyms

Noun

• acquisition
• obtainment

Examples of accession in a Sentence

Noun

the accession of Queen Elizabeth II

an exhibit of the museum's latest accessions

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Allies have been cool on -- or outright opposed to -- Ukraine's ambition for rapid NATO accession and subsequent protection under the bloc's Article 5 collective defense clause. —David Brennan, ABC News, 17 Feb. 2025

In the years following its accession into the World Trade Organization, China was warmly welcomed into global markets, with countries eager to benefit from its manufacturing prowess and seemingly limitless appetite for foreign investment. —Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Verb

This increase is due to a higher number of specimens accessioned. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024

Photo: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art Once accessioned (accepted into a museum collection), garments are forever severed from their connection to the body for which they were designed and which complete them. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 6 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French accession "acquisition, increase" (Old French also "attack of an illness"), borrowed from Latin accessiōn-, accessiō "approach, onset, paroxysm, addition, accessory," from accēdere "to approach" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at accede

Verb

derivative of accession entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1887, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for accession

• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression
• possession

Kids Definition

accession

noun

ac·​ces·​sion

ik-ˈsesh-ən,

ak-

1

: something added : acquisition

2

: increase by something added

3

: the act of agreeing

accession to a proposal

4

: the act of coming to office or power

the accession of a king

Legal Definition

accession

noun

ac·​ces·​sion ik-ˈse-shən, ak- 

1

: increase by something added

specifically : the mode of acquiring property by which the owner of property (as a building, land, or cattle) becomes the owner of an addition by growth, improvement, increase, or labor

2

: the act of assenting or agreeing