excrescence
Americannoun
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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.
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a normal outgrowth, as hair or horns.
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any disfiguring addition.
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abnormal growth or increase.
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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.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of excrescence
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; from Latin excrēscentia; see excrescent, -ence
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Things didn't improve from there, with The Observer calling it "shameless excrescence" in 2017.
From BBC ● Dec. 23, 2018
Its head is a sculptural confection of broken cycles, its rear a writhing excrescence of black rubber loops.
From Economist ● Oct. 26, 2017
This ravishing excrescence reminded me of a shipwreck-themed Alexander McQueen show from 2002, which opened with a video of a drowning girl.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 21, 2016
Jewels are to art what celebrities are to society, at best an ornament, more commonly an excrescence.
From Washington Post ● May 7, 2015
Another irregularity of the pock is what is familiarly termed the raspberry excrescence.
From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
