Meaning

noun a quantity that is added

noun a change resulting in an increase

noun a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important

originFrom Middle English encresen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman encreistre, from Latin increscere (“to increase”), from in (“in, on”) + crescō (“grow”). The noun is from Middle English encres, from the verb.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0