excursus
Detailed side discussion
An excursus is a detailed discussion of a particular point that branches off from the main argument of a text.
Scholarly books often include excursuses (or excursi) as appendices or extended footnotes exploring tangential matters too important to omit but too digressive for the main body: The author's excursus on Byzantine coinage runs thirty pages.
Line touching curve once
- detourAlternate path around obstruction
- departureAct of going away
- deviationDeparture from expected path
- asideBrief theatrical digression
diversion · parenthesis · meander · ramble · drift · wandering · sidetrack · interpolation
Extended academic treatise
- monographSingle-topic scholarly work
- treatiseFormal scholarly composition
- appendixSupplementary section after main text
- addendumSupplementary text at end
footnote · annotation · commentary · supplement · corollary · thesis · disquisition · postscript
Development through detail
- elucidationAct of explaining clearly
- explicationDetailed interpretive analysis
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- analysisMethodical study of parts
exploration · examination · discussion · treatment · amplification · expatiation · discourse · inquiry
Increase in intensity
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- ornamentThing that beautifies
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
paraphrase · declamation · digressive · parenthetical · episodic · discursive · expansive · verbose
tangent
Line touching curve once
- detourAlternate path around obstruction
- departureAct of going away
- deviationDeparture from expected path
aside · diversion · parenthesis · meander · ramble · drift · wandering · sidetrack · interpolation · interjection
dissertation
Extended academic treatise
- monographSingle-topic scholarly work
- treatiseFormal scholarly composition
- appendixSupplementary section after main text
addendum · footnote · annotation · commentary · supplement · corollary · thesis · disquisition · postscript · endnote
elaboration
Development through detail
- elucidationAct of explaining clearly
- explicationDetailed interpretive analysis
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
analysis · exploration · examination · discussion · treatment · amplification · expatiation · discourse · inquiry · investigation
amplification
Increase in intensity
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- flourishTo grow vigorously
- ornamentThing that beautifies
embellishment · paraphrase · declamation · digressive · parenthetical · episodic · discursive · expansive · verbose · prolix
- writingsessay, essays, article, articles, stories
- asidesaside, digression, tangent, sidenote, side note
- digressionsdigression, tangent, aside, sidetrack, detour
- elaborationclarification, expansion, detail, explanation, amplification
- annotationsfootnote, annotations, marginalia, endnote, footnotes
excursuscore argument
Primary thesis being defended
thesis · body · main point · through-line · crux
- shore excursionOrganized land visit from ship
- excursion boatVessel for recreational outings
- nature excursionsGuided outdoor expeditions
- excursion trainRail trip for pleasure
excursion, excursions, excursionist, excursionists, excursive