'accumbency' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'accumbere,' where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'cumbere' meant 'to lie down.'

'accumbere' transformed into the Late Latin word 'accumbentia,' and eventually became the modern English word 'accumbency.'

Initially, it meant 'to lie down or recline,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.