excrescencies

/ɪkˈskrɛsənsiz/
noun
  1. Unwanted or abnormal outgrowths on a living thing, such as a plant or animal body.
    • Some corals develop bony excrescencies as they grow in shallow water.
    • The tree trunk was covered in knobby excrescencies caused by a fungal infection.
    • The doctor removed several small excrescencies from the patient's skin.
  2. Unnecessary or undesirable additions or features that spoil something.
    • The architect argued that the modern glass tower was an excrescency on the historic city skyline.
    • The editor cut all the excrescencies from the manuscript to make it more readable.
    • Many critics saw the new tax as an excrescency on an already complicated system.
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