Meanings
comparative more bioaccumulative · superlative most bioaccumulative · alternative bio-accumulative
- That tends to accumulate in an organism when the organism's ability to remove it is insufficient.
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) received a flurry of attention around 2000, when studies of its effects on animal and human health showed that it was bioaccumulative (meaning that it accumulates in body tissue, especially in fat where it can linger for years), persistent, and toxic to mammals.
2007, Elizabeth Grossman, High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health, Island Press, →ISBN, page 284
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
- Ancient Greekβῐ́ος (bĭ́os)
- Ancient Greekβῐο- (bĭo-)
- Englishbio-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱuh₁mósder.?
- Latincumulus
- Latincumulō
- Latinaccumulō
- Latinaccumulātus
- Middle Englishaccumylaten
- Englishaccumulate
- Englishaccumulative
- Englishbioaccumulative
From bio- + accumulative.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French bioaccumulatif
- bioaccumulatiftending to accumulate in organisms
German bioakkumulativ
- bioakkumulativtending to accumulate in organisms
Portuguese bioacumulativo
- bioacumulativotending to accumulate in organisms
Spanish bioacumulativo
- bioacumulativotending to accumulate in organisms
Cite this entry
bioaccumulative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioaccumulative
“bioaccumulative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioaccumulative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bioaccumulative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bioaccumulative.
Source: bioaccumulative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.