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excrescent

American  
[ik-skres-uhnt] / ɪkˈskrɛs ənt /

adjective

  1. growing abnormally out of something else; superfluous.

  2. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) inserted or added as a result of articulatory interaction or impetus, as the t- sound in sense (sents) or against (from Middle Englishageynes ), without grammatical or historical justification; intrusive; parasitic.

Other Word Forms

  • excrescently adverb
  • superexcrescent adjective
  • superexcrescently adverb
  • unexcrescent adjective
  • unexcrescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of excrescent

1600–10; < Latin excrēscent- (stem of excrēscēns ), present participle of excrēscere to grow out. See ex- 1, crescent

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.