incremental

Etymology

It is formed from English increment + -al.^[2][3][4][5] Increment is from Latin incrēmentum (“growth, increase; an addition”),^[2][3] from the stem of incrēscō (“to grow in or upon”),^[2][3] which is formed from in- and crēscō (“to grow”), and the same Latin verb is the source of increase.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to or of the nature of increase: Merriam-Webster gives 1696 as the first known use,^[6] Etymonline 1715,^[2] and the OED's first quotation is from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1716, mostly in the mathematical sense of increment.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective began in mathematics, where an increment is the small amount by which a variable grows; the OED notes that it was usually used in this sense.^[3] The Shorter Oxford adds the sense "advancing by increments", as in an incremental pay scale.^[4] The related nouns incrementalism, belief in change by degrees, and the adverb incrementally date from the mid 20th century.^[4] In the United Kingdom from 1988 an incremental radio station was an additional local or community station licensed under existing broadcasting law.^[3] In computing, an incremental backup saves only what has changed since an earlier backup.^[7]

Timeline

• 1696 – first known use (Merriam-Webster).^[6]
• 1715 – relating to increase (Etymonline).^[2]
• 1716 – relating to an increment, chiefly in mathematics (OED).^[3]
• mid 20th century – incrementalism, incrementally.^[4]
• 1988 – of an additional local radio station (UK).^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to, consisting of, or resulting from increments: incremental salary increases.^[6][8][3]
2. Happening or advancing in a series of small steps; gradual: The software improved through incremental updates.^[4][8]
3. (UK) Of an additional local or community radio station licensed under existing broadcasting law.^[3]

Word family

• incrementally
• incrementalism

Related words

• increment
• increase
• decrement

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins