Excrescent adjective [ Latin excresens , -entis , present participle of excrescere to grow out ; ex out + crescere to grow. See Crescent .] Growing out in an abnormal or morbid manner or as a superfluity.

Expunge the whole, or lip the excrescent parts.

Pope.

Excrescent letter (Philol.) , a letter which has been added to a root; as, the d in alder (AS. alr ) is an excrescent letter .

Excrescential adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, an excrescence. [ R.] Hawthorne.

Excreta noun plural [ Latin ] Matters to be excreted.

Excrete transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Excreted ; present participle & verbal noun Excreting .] [ Latin excretus , past participle of excernere to sift out, discharge; ex out + cernere to sift, separate. See Crisis .] To separate and throw off; to excrete urine. "The mucus thus excreted ." Hooper.

Excretin noun [ From Excrete .] (physiol. Chem.) A nonnitrogenous, crystalline body, present in small quantity in human fæces.

Excretion noun [ Confer French excrétion .]
1. The act of excreting.

To promote secretion and excretion .

Pereira.

2. That which is excreted; excrement. Bacon.

Excretive adjective Having the power of excreting, or promoting excretion. Harvey.

Excretory adjective [ Confer French excrétoire .] Having the quality of excreting, or throwing off excrementitious matter.

Excruciable adjective [ Latin excruciabilis .] Liable to torment. [ R.] Bailey.

Excruciate adjective [ Latin excruciatus , past participle of excruciare to excruciate; ex out + cruciare to put to death on a cross, to torment. See Cruciate , Cross .] Excruciated; tortured.

And here my heart long time excruciate .

Chapman.

Excruciate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Excruciated ; present participle & verbal noun Excruciating .] To inflict agonizing pain upon; to torture; to torment greatly; to rack; as, to excruciate the heart or the body.

Their thoughts, like devils, them excruciate .

Drayton.

Excruciating Torturing; racking. " Excruciating pain." V. Knox. " Excruciating fears." Bentley -- Ex*cru"ci*a`ting*ly , adverb

Excruciation noun [ Latin excruciatio .] The act of inflicting agonizing pain, or the state of being thus afflicted; that which excruciates; torture. Feltham.

Excubation noun [ Latin excubatio , from excubare to lie out on guard; ex out on guard; ex out + cubare to lie down.] A keeping watch. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Excubitorium noun [ Late Latin excubitorium ; ex out + cubare , cubitum , to lie.] (Eccl. Antiq.) A gallery in a church, where persons watched all night.

Exculpable Capable of being exculpated; deserving exculpation. Sir G. Buck.

Exculpate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Exculpated , present participle & verbal noun . Exculpating ] [ Latin ex out + culpatus , past participle of culpare to find fault with, to blame, culpa fault. See Culpable .] To clear from alleged fault or guilt; to prove to be guiltless; to relieve of blame; to acquit.

He exculpated himself from being the author of the heroic epistle.

Mason.

I exculpate him further for his writing against me.

Milman.

Syn. -- To exonerate; absolve; clear; acquit; excuse; vindicate; justify.

Exculpation noun [ Confer Late Latin exculpatio .] The act of exculpating from alleged fault or crime; that which exculpates; excuse.

These robbers, however, were men who might have made out a strong case in exculpation of themselves.

Southey.

Exculpatory Clearing, or tending to clear, from alleged fault or guilt; excusing. "An exculpatory letter." Johnson.

Excur intransitive verb [ Latin excurrere . See Excurrent .] To run out or forth; to extend. [ Obsolete] Harvey.

Excurrent adjective [ Latin excurrens , past participle of excurrere, excursum, to run out; ex out + currere to run. See Current .]
1. Running or flowing out ; as: (Botany) Running or extending out; as, an excurrent midrib, one which projects beyond the apex of a leaf; an excurrent steam or trunk, one which continues to the top.

2. (Zoöl) Characterized by a current which flows outward; as, an excurrent orifice or tube.

Excurse transitive verb [ See excurrent .] To journey or pass thought. [ R.]

Excursion [ Latin excursio : confer French excursion . See Excurrent .]
1. A running or going out or forth; an expedition; a sally.

Far on excursion toward the gates of hell.

Milton.

They would make excursions and waste the country.

Holland.

2. A journey chiefly for recreation; a pleasure trip; a brief tour; as, an excursion into the country.

3. A wandering from a subject; digression.

I am not in a scribbling mood, and shall therefore make no excursions .

Cowper.

4. (Machinery) Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [ An awkward use of the word.]

Syn. -- Journey; tour; ramble; jaunt. See Journey .

Excursionist noun One who goes on an excursion, or pleasure trip.

Excursive adjective Prone to make excursions; wandering; roving; exploring; as, an excursive fancy.

The course of excursive . . . understandings.

I. Taylor.

-- Ex*cur"sive*ly , adverb -- Ex*cur"sive*ness , , noun

Excursus noun [ Latin , from excurrere , excursum . See Excurrent .] A dissertation or digression appended to a work, and containing a more extended exposition of some important point or topic.

Excusable adjective [ Latin excusabilis : confer French excusable . See Excuse .] That may be excused, forgiven, justified, or acquitted of blame; pardonable; as, the man is excusable ; an excusable action. -- Ex*cus"a*ble*ness , noun -- Ex*cus"a*bly , adverb

The excusableness of my dissatisfaction.

Boyle.

Excusation noun [ Latin excusatio : confer French excusation .] Excuse; apology. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Excusator noun [ Latin ] One who makes, or is authorized to make, an excuse; an apologist. [ Obsolete] Hume.

Excusatory adjective Making or containing excuse or apology; apologetical; as, an excusatory plea.

Excuse transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Excused ; present participle & verbal noun Excusing .] [ Middle English escusen , cusen , Old French escuser , excuser , French excuser , from Latin excusare ; ex out + causa cause, causari to plead. See Cause .]
1. To free from accusation, or the imputation of fault or blame; to clear from guilt; to release from a charge; to justify by extenuating a fault; to exculpate; to absolve; to acquit.

A man's persuasion that a thing is duty, will not excuse him from guilt in practicing it, if really and indeed it be against Gog's law.

Abp. Sharp.

2. To pardon, as a fault; to forgive entirely, or to admit to be little censurable, and to overlook; as, we excuse irregular conduct, when extraordinary circumstances appear to justify it.

I must excuse what can not be amended.

Shak.

3. To regard with indulgence; to view leniently or to overlook; to pardon.

And in our own ( excuse some courtly stains.)
No whiter page than Addison remains.

Pope.

4. To free from an impending obligation or duty; hence, to disengage; to dispense with; to release by favor; also, to remit by favor; not to exact; as, to excuse a forfeiture.

I pray thee have me excused .

xiv. 19.

5. To relieve of an imputation by apology or defense; to make apology for as not seriously evil; to ask pardon or indulgence for.

Think ye that we excuse ourselves to you?

2 Cor. xii. 19.

Syn. -- To vindicate; exculpate; absolve; acquit. - To Pardon , Excuse , Forgive . A superior pardons as an act of mercy or generosity; either a superior or an equal excuses . A crime, great fault, or a grave offence, as one against law or morals, may be pardoned ; a small fault, such as a failure in social or conventional obligations, slight omissions or neglects may be excused . Forgive relates to offenses against one's self, and punishment foregone; as, to forgive injuries or one who has injured us; to pardon grave offenses, crimes, and criminals; to excuse an act of forgetfulness, an unintentional offense. Pardon is also a word of courtesy employed in the sense of excuse .

Excuse noun [ Confer French excuse . See Excuse , transitive verb ]
1. The act of excusing, apologizing, exculpating, pardoning, releasing, and the like; acquittal; release; absolution; justification; extenuation.

Pleading so wisely in excuse of it.

Shak.

2. That which is offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or irregular deportment; apology; as, an excuse for neglect of duty; excuses for delay of payment.

Hence with denial vain and coy excuse .

Milton.

3. That which excuses; that which extenuates or justifies a fault. "It hath the excuse of youth." Shak.

If eyes were made for seeing.
Then beauty is its own excuse for being.

Emerson.

Syn. -- See Apology .

Excuseless adjective Having no excuse; not admitting of excuse or apology. Whillock.

Excusement noun [ Confer Old French excusement .] Excuse. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Excuser noun
1. One who offers excuses or pleads in extenuation of the fault of another. Swift.

2. One who excuses or forgives another. Shelton.

Excuss transitive verb [ Latin excussus . past participle of excutere to shake off; ex out, from + quatere to shake. Confer Quash .]
1. To shake off; to discard. [ R.]

To excuss the notation of a Geity out of their minds.

Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. To inspect; to investigate; to decipher. [ R.]

To take some pains in excusing some old monuments.

F. Junius (1654).

3. To seize and detain by law, as goods. [ Obsolete] Ayliffe.

Excussion noun [ Latin excussio a shaking down; Late Latin , a threshing of corn: confer French excussion .] The act of excusing; seizure by law. [ Obsolete] Ayliffe.

Exeat noun [ Latin , let him go forth.]
1. A license for absence from a college or a religious house. [ Eng.] Shipley.

2. A permission which a bishop grants to a priest to go out of his diocese. Wharton.

Execrable adjective [ Latin execrabilis , exsecrabilis : confer French exécrable . See Execrate .] Deserving to be execrated; accursed; damnable; detestable; abominable; as, an execrable wretch. " Execrable pride." Hooker.

-- Ex"e*cra*ble*ness , noun -- Ex"e*cra*bly , adverb

Execrate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Execrated ; present participle & verbal noun Execrating .] [ Latin execratus , exsecratus , past participle of execrare , exsecrare , to execrate; ex out + sacer holy, sacred. See Sacred .] To denounce evil against, or to imprecate evil upon; to curse; to protest against as unholy or detestable; hence, to detest utterly; to abhor; to abominate. "They . . . execrate their lct." Cowper.

Execration noun [ Latin execratio , exsecratio : confer French exécration .]
1. The act of cursing; a curse dictated by violent feelings of hatred; imprecation; utter detestation expressed.

Cease, gentle, queen, these execrations .

Shak.

2. That which is execrated; a detested thing.

Ye shall be an execration and . . . a curse.

Jer. xlii. 18.

Syn. -- See Malediction .

Execrative adjective Cursing; imprecatory; vilifying. Carlyle. -- Ex"e*cra*tive*ly , adverb

Execrative noun A word used for cursing; an imprecatory word or expression. Earle.

Execratory adjective Of the nature of execration; imprecatory; denunciatory. C. Kingsley. -- noun A formulary of execrations. Latin Addison.

Exect transitive verb [ See Exsect .] To cut off or out. [ Obsolete] See Exsect . Harvey.

Exection noun [ Obsolete] See Exsection .

Executable adjective Capable of being executed; feasible; as, an executable project. [ R.]

Executant noun One who executes or performs; esp., a performer on a musical instrument.

Great executants on the organ.

De Quincey.

Execute transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Executed ; present participle & verbal noun Executing .] [ French exécuter , Latin executus , exsecutus , past participle of exequi to follow to the end, pursue; ex out + sequi to follow. See Second , Sue to follow up, and confer Exequy .]
1. To follow out or through to the end; to carry out into complete effect; to complete; to finish; to effect; to perform.

Why delays
His hand to execute what his decree
Fixed on this day?

Milton.

2. To complete, as a legal instrument; to perform what is required to give validity to, as by signing and perhaps sealing and delivering; as, to execute a deed, lease, mortgage, will, etc.

3. To give effect to; to do what is provided or required by; to perform the requirements or stipulations of; as, to execute a decree, judgment, writ, or process.

4. To infect capital punishment on; to put to death in conformity to a legal sentence; as, to execute a traitor.

5. To put to death illegally; to kill. [ Obsolete] Shak.

6. (Mus.) To perform, as a piece of music, either on an instrument or with the voice; as, to execute a difficult part brilliantly.

Syn. -- To accomplish; effect; fulfill; achieve; consummate; finish; complete. See Accomplish .

Execute intransitive verb
1. To do one's work; to act one's part or purpose. [ R.] Hayward.

2. To perform musically.