excrescence

American  

[ik-skres-uhns] / ɪkˈskrɛs əns /

noun

1. an abnormal outgrowth, usually harmless, on an animal or vegetable body.

   The patient had moles, swollen red dots, and other excrescences all over the body.

2. a normal outgrowth, as hair or horns.

3. any disfiguring addition.

4. abnormal growth or increase.

5. Phonetics. the insertion or addition of a sound, usually a consonant, as a result of articulatory interaction without grammatical or historical justification, like the t-sound in prince or the p-sound in hamster.

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excrescence British  

/ ɪkˈskrɛsəns, ˌɛkskrɪˈsɛnʃəl /

noun

1. a projection or protuberance, esp an outgrowth from an organ or part of the body

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Other Word Forms

• excrescential adjective
• superexcrescence noun

Etymology

Origin of excrescence

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; from Latin excrēscentia; excrescent, -ence

Example Sentences

One British news report from the era featured an interview with a bloke on the street who described it as “an abortion — it’s an excrescence.”

From Los Angeles Times

The ceiling was unbreached, the man said, and added, a little starchily, that the excrescence clearly was what it appeared to be.

From Washington Post

These excrescences can’t be good for the tree, but they sure make it distinctive.

From Washington Post

“Do you take this excrescence to be your husband?”

From Washington Post

To press a button and see your own excrescence appear in the preordained format, minted, can feel like a kind of magic.

From The Guardian