diff --git a/doc/tame.texi b/doc/tame.texi
index 39901212..5ed52297 100644
--- a/doc/tame.texi
+++ b/doc/tame.texi
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ Free Documentation License".
 @end ifnottex
 
 @menu
+* Preprocessor::  Metaprogramming system
 * License::       Document License
 @end menu
 
@@ -75,6 +76,23 @@ Free Documentation License".
 @end ifhtml
 
 
+@node Preprocessor
+@chapter Preprocessor
+
+@menu
+* Macro Expansion::
+@end menu
+
+@node Macro Expansion
+@section Macro Expansion
+
+@menu
+* Expansion Sequence::
+@end menu
+
+@lowersections
+@include ../src/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.texi
+@raisesections
 
 @include license.texi
 
diff --git a/src/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xsl b/src/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xsl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..60c56894
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xsl
@@ -0,0 +1,415 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<stylesheet version="2.0"
+  xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
+  xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
+  xmlns:eseq="http://www.lovullo.com/tame/preproc/expand/eseq"
+  xmlns:_eseq="http://www.lovullo.com/tame/preproc/expand/eseq/_priv">
+
+<!--
+@node Expansion Sequence
+@section Expansion Sequence
+
+  An @dfn{expansion sequence} @math{E} is an ordered list of nodes
+  @math{N_1,N_2,\\ldots,N_m} satisfying the property that, given some
+  node @math{N_x\\in E} such that @math{m\\geq x>1}, the node
+  @math{N_@{x-1@}} must have already been fully expanded before
+  expansion of @math{N_x} begins.  Such an ordering guarantee is
+  generally unnecessary.
+
+  Expansion sequences are initiated by invoking
+  @ttref{eseq:expand-step} on any arbitrary node containing any number
+  of children to be expanded in order.  Each call will proceed one
+  step (detailed herein), eventually resulting in each node expanded
+  and the expansion sequence node eliminated.
+-->
+
+<!--
+  This fuction performs only a single pass, expected to be applied
+  once for each pass as necessary.  This may change in the future once
+  the preprocessor supports subtree expansion.
+
+  The final result of the expansion is the result of expanding each
+  child serially, requiring that expansion of the previous sibling be
+  wholly completed before expansion of a node.  The parent expansion
+  sequence node will be stripped from the result once empty.
+
+  Note that this function accepts an empty XML sequence, and will
+  return an empty sequence in such a case.
+-->
+<function name="eseq:expand-step" as="node()*">
+  <param name="eseq" as="node()*" />
+
+  <variable name="count" as="xs:integer"
+            select="count( $eseq )" />
+
+  <variable name="target" as="element()?"
+            select="$eseq[ $count ]" />
+
+  <!-- We must be careful in how we retain other nodes; since we
+       accept a sequence of nodes, the @code{preceding-sibling}
+       pseudo-selector cannot be used, since they are not part of the
+       same tree. -->
+  <sequence select="$eseq[ position() lt $count ]" />
+
+  <apply-templates mode="_eseq:expand"
+                   select="$target" />
+</function>
+
+
+
+<!--
+  Throughout the process, we will consider only the head of the
+  sequence for processing; we call the the @dfn{head node}.  Once the
+  head is done expanding, it is @dfn{hoisted} out out of the
+  sequence@mdash{}order maintained@mdash{}and processing continues
+  with the next head.  If no such head exists, then we are done.
+
+  This implementation sounds simple on the face of it, but is
+  complicated by the fact that we are not performing this operation in
+  one sweep@mdash{}due to the implementation of the preprocessor at
+  the time that this was written, we must pass control back with each
+  pass that might trigger an expansion, allowing the symbol table to
+  be updated and other processing to take place.  At least that's the
+  rationale; we wouldn't want to make such assumptions in this
+  implementation.  But we do need to keep that in mind.
+
+  With that, we will also want to keep the number of re-passes to a
+  minimum; that means yielding back to the caller only when
+  necessary.  Until a redesign of the preprocessor such that it will
+  reprocess only as necessary, running a sequential expansion will
+  @emph{always} be slower, and processing time will grow linearly with
+  the number of expansion nodes, relative to the size of the entire
+  package.
+
+@menu
+* Predicating Expansion::   Determining whether something needs
+                            expansion, and delegating expansion
+
+* Expansion Operations::    Operating on an abstract definition of
+                            expansion
+
+* Node Hoisting::           Handling of expanded nodes
+@end menu
+
+@node Predicating Expansion
+@subsection Predicating Expansion
+
+  To start, let's consider possible nodes.  We do not want to make any
+  assumptions of what may or may not be expandable, so we will handle
+  them all consistently.  The first question is whether the node is
+  even expandable.
+-->
+
+
+<!--
+  Our perspective is abstraction@mdash{}we do not know (nor should we)
+  what the caller may consider to be expandable, or how it may be
+  expanded.
+
+  To solve this problem, we introduce an abstract predicate that must
+  be overridden by an implementation to provide anything of
+  value.  Otherwise, all we can do is assume that the node we have
+  encountered cannot be expanded (what would we even do to expand
+  it?).
+-->
+
+<!--
+  @emph{An implementation must override this function.}
+
+  This predicate determines exclusively whether a node should be
+  expanded or hoisted.  Therefore, it should account for both nodes
+  that @emph{cannot} be expanded (for example, text nodes may not be
+  expanded), and nodes that have @emph{already been expanded} that can
+  undergo no further expansion.
+
+  The default implementation therefore will always yield false,
+  meaning that no processing will take place.
+-->
+<function name="eseq:is-expandable" as="xs:boolean">
+  <param name="node" as="node()" />
+
+  <sequence select="false()" />
+</function>
+
+
+<!--
+  With that question answered, we are now able to proceed:
+
+  @enumerate
+    @item If a node is not expandable, we can immediately hoist it
+      (@pxref{Node Hoisting});
+    @item Otherwise, we must allow the node to attempt to expand.
+  @end enumerate
+
+  The former allows us to save re-passes (and therefore improve
+  performance), as well as the headache of handling every possible
+  case.@footnote{Well, we deferred that complexity to the caller via
+  our @code{eseq:is-expandable} predicate.}  The latter has an
+  important consideration.
+
+  Let's start with the first case.
+-->
+
+<!--
+  When we encounter a head that is not expandable, it will be
+  immediately hoisted, as there is no work to be done.
+
+  The result of this operation will be a sequence of nodes, one of
+  them being the hoisted node, and the last being the remaining
+  expansion sequence.  @xref{Node Hoisting}.
+-->
+<template mode="_eseq:expand" as="node()+"
+          match="*[ node()[1][
+                      not( eseq:is-expandable( . ) ) ] ]">
+  <sequence select="_eseq:hoist( . )" />
+</template>
+
+
+<!--
+  As we only have an abstract view of the concept of ``expansion'', we
+  need a way for an implementation to notify us whether a node needs
+  further expansion, or is ready to be hoisted.  Fortunately, we
+  already have that information because of how we defined
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable}.  In other words, our previously declared
+  processing will already take care of hoisting for us when necessary,
+  so we need only continue to expand nodes as necessary.
+-->
+
+<!--
+  We must continue to expand expandable nodes; otherwise, nested
+  expansions would never take place.
+
+  Once expansion is complete, by the definition of
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable}, expansion will halt.
+-->
+<template mode="_eseq:expand" as="element()"
+          match="*[ node()[1][
+                      eseq:is-expandable( . ) ] ]">
+  <sequence select="_eseq:expand-head( . )" />
+</template>
+
+
+<!--
+  Up until this point, we have been assuming that there is an actual
+  head node to process; this may not be the case.  In fact, we are
+  guaranteed to encounter and empty expansion sequence at some point,
+  because all nodes will have been hoisted (@pxref{Node Hoisting})!
+
+  In this instance, we will consider our job to have been completed,
+  and self-destruct.
+-->
+
+
+<!--
+  Once there is no head node, expansion is complete and the sequence
+  parent is no longer necessary.
+-->
+<template mode="_eseq:expand"
+          match="*[ not( node() ) ]" />
+
+
+<!--
+  The above matches satisfy all possible conditions.
+
+  @proof{Let the expansion sequence element be the context node.  As
+  it is an element, it is matched by @code{*}, which is the context of
+  each match.  The expansion sequence either has a head node, or it
+  does not have a head node.  If it @emph{does} have a head node, then
+  it can be defined as @code{node()[1]}; otherwise @code{node()}
+  yields an empty sequence, and the final template is matched.  When
+  the head node @emph{is} available, it is either expandable or
+  non-expandable, determined by the predicate
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable}.  Since the predicate returns a boolean,
+  it must be either @code{false()} or @code{true()}, and so it
+  must satisfy either the first or second template respectively.}
+
+  We have therefore determined hoisting/expansion actions through use
+  of a single predicate.
+
+  An astute reader may have come to an uncomfortable realization:
+  after all expansions are complete and the expansion sequence node
+  itself is eliminated (per the final match above), then the node that
+  was last expanded and hoisted will be considered to be the expansion
+  sequence by @ttref{eseq:expand-step}.  This is true, but should not
+  be a problem in practice: hoisting is intended to place nodes into
+  context for the caller; it is expected that the caller will
+  recognize when to invoke sequence expansion (likely on a pre-defined
+  node type, which would no longer match after it is eliminated).  The
+  discomfort comes from the fact that we cannot use this
+  implementation recursively; this is a consequence of the current
+  preprocessor implementation, and is subject to change in the future.
+-->
+
+
+
+<!--
+@node Expansion Operations
+@subsection Expansion Operations
+
+  The concept of ``expansion'' is treated as an abstract operation
+  (@pxref{Predicating Expansion}).  The system implementing expansion
+  sequences should provide concrete definitions of what it means to
+  expand a node, and what it means to check whether a node is
+  expanded.
+
+  Recall that expansion takes place only the on the head
+  node.  Expanding the head therefore involves reproducing the
+  expansion sequence with head expanded and siblings untouched.
+-->
+
+<!--
+  Expanding the head produces a new expansion sequence with the head
+  expanded and all its sibling nodes left untouched.  This produces
+  the fundamental effect of the expansion sequence.
+
+  A head node @emph{must} be available to satisfy the domain of the
+  function.
+
+  Actual expansion is left to
+  @ref{eseq:expand-node,,@code{eseq:expand-node}}.
+-->
+<function name="_eseq:expand-head" as="element()">
+  <param name="eseq" as="element()" />
+
+  <variable name="head" as="node()"
+            select="$eseq/node()[1]" />
+
+  <!-- This @code{for-each} is purely to set the context for
+       @code{copy}, since we do not know the sequence element
+       name. -->
+  <for-each select="$eseq">
+    <copy>
+      <sequence select="$eseq/@*,
+                        eseq:expand-node( $head ),
+                        $head/following-sibling::node()" />
+    </copy>
+  </for-each>
+</function>
+
+
+<!--
+  Just as we defined an overridable expansion predicate, we will
+  provide an overridable function that performs actual node
+  expansion.
+
+  Its default behavior is an important consideration: what if
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable} is overridden but the implementation
+  forgets to override @ttref{eseq:expand-node}?  If the default
+  behavior were to simply echo back the node, it seems likely that we
+  would never finish processing, since the very node that matched the
+  predicate to begin with would remain unchanged.
+
+  Ideally, we remain side-effect free (meaning no triggering of
+  errors).  Instead, we return a single node in our own namespace that
+  represents the error; this will likely trigger an error in the
+  system, since the node is unrecognized.@footnote{If an error is
+  @emph{not} triggered, then the system is not very sound.}
+-->
+
+<!--
+  @emph{An implementation must override this function.}
+
+  This function should perform whatever is necessary to expand the
+  provided node.  Note that this call represents a single step in an
+  expansion, so it need not result in a complete expansion; further
+  processing will take place according to the result of the
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable} predicate.
+
+  If @ttref{eseq:is-expandable} is provided, but an override for this
+  function is not, then the default behavior is to return a node in
+  our namespace providing a description of the problem; this is to
+  prevent infinite recursion/iteration.
+-->
+<function name="eseq:expand-node" as="node()*">
+  <param name="node" as="node()" />
+
+  <eseq:expand-error>
+    <text>A node expansion was requested via `eseq:expand-node'</text>
+    <text>, but no implementation was provided.  Please</text>
+    <text>override the function.</text>
+  </eseq:expand-error>
+</function>
+
+
+<!--
+  The return type of @ttref{eseq:expand-node} produces an interesting
+  concept.  Consider what may happen after an expansion:
+
+  @enumerate
+    @item Node expanded into a single node;
+    @item Node expanded into nothing (producing no node); or
+    @item Node expanded into multiple nodes.
+  @end enumerate
+
+  The first is obviously not an issue, since it keeps us consistent
+  with what we have been doing.  In the second case, a node is removed
+  rather than being hoisted, but we are otherwise in a state that we
+  expect: less a node.  So will the case of expanding into multiple
+  nodes cause any problems?
+
+  It shouldn't, but it is worth a discussion to
+  rationalize.  Expansion sequences exist to provide expansion
+  guarantees; the system otherwise expands nodes as it can in an
+  undefined manner.  Since that manner is undefined, providing it with
+  stronger restrictions is acceptable: the newly expanded nodes will
+  be processed in order as a consequence of becoming part of the
+  expansion sequence, but they will otherwise be processed as
+  normal.@footnote{In fact, this is a useful property, since it can be
+  exploited by templates to create abstractions with ordering
+  guarantees.  So consider it a feature!}
+
+  After expansion, with the current preprocessor design, we have no
+  choice but the yield control back to the caller to allow it to
+  continue processing; the expansion may have yielded additional
+  symbols that must be added to the symbol table, for example.  The
+  process will be continued on the next call to
+  @ttref{eseq:expand-step}.
+-->
+
+
+
+<!--
+@node Node Hoisting
+@subsection Node Hoisting
+
+  @dfn{Hoisting} is the process of moving a fully expanded head node
+  out of the expansion sequence; it is the final step of the process
+  for a head node and is driven wholly by the
+  @ttref{eseq:is-expandable} predicate.
+
+  Unfortunately, we cannot continue processing immediately after
+  hoisting for the same reasons that we cannot continue processing
+  after expansion: after hoisting, the nodes may enter a proper
+  context and acquire another meaning, which may result in, for
+  example, additional symbols.
+-->
+
+
+<!--
+  Hoisting removes the head node from the expansion sequence, leaving
+  all other expansion nodes untouched.  The result is a sequence of
+  two nodes, the last of which is the expansion sequence element.
+
+  If no head node exists, the result is the single expansion sequence
+  node unchanged.
+-->
+<function name="_eseq:hoist" as="node()+">
+  <param name="eseq-node" as="element()" />
+
+  <variable name="head" as="node()?"
+            select="$eseq-node/node()[1]" />
+
+  <sequence select="$head" />
+
+  <!-- This @code{for-each} is purely to set the context for
+       @code{copy}, since we do not know the sequence element
+       name. -->
+  <for-each select="$eseq-node">
+    <copy>
+      <sequence select="$eseq-node/@*
+                        , $head/following-sibling::node()" />
+    </copy>
+  </for-each>
+</function>
+
+</stylesheet>
diff --git a/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence-test.xsl b/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence-test.xsl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e8315e6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence-test.xsl
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<!--
+  Tests dynamic function reference
+
+  Copyright (C) 2015 LoVullo Associates, Inc.
+
+    This file is part of TAME.
+
+    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+    GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+-->
+
+<stylesheet version="2.0"
+            xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
+            xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
+            xmlns:eseq="http://www.lovullo.com/tame/preproc/expand/eseq"
+            xmlns:foo="http://www.lovullo.com/_junk">
+
+
+  <import href="../../../src/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xsl" />
+
+
+  <variable name="foo:empty-eseq" as="element( foo:empty )">
+    <foo:empty />
+  </variable>
+
+  <variable name="foo:a" as="element( foo:seq )">
+    <foo:seq foo="bar">
+      <foo:node head="true">
+        <foo:head />
+      </foo:node>
+      <foo:node tail="true" />
+    </foo:seq>
+  </variable>
+
+
+  <variable name="foo:expanded" as="element( foo:seq )">
+    <foo:seq foo="baz">
+      <sequence select="eseq:expand-node( $foo:a/foo:node[1] ),
+                        eseq:expand-node( $foo:a/foo:node[2] )" />
+    </foo:seq>
+  </variable>
+
+  <!-- used to assert indirectly that our own @code{is-expanded}
+       predicate is being used -->
+  <variable name="foo:unexpandable" as="element( foo:seq )">
+    <foo:seq>
+      <foo:node no-expand="true" />
+    </foo:seq>
+  </variable>
+
+
+  <function name="eseq:is-expandable" as="xs:boolean"
+            override="yes">
+    <param name="node" as="node()" />
+
+    <sequence select="$node instance of element()
+                      and not( $node/@foo:expanded )" />
+  </function>
+
+
+  <function name="eseq:expand-node" as="node()*"
+            override="yes">
+    <param name="node" as="node()" />
+
+    <choose>
+      <when test="$node/@no-expand">
+        <sequence select="$node" />
+      </when>
+
+      <otherwise>
+        <apply-templates mode="foo:expand-node"
+                         select="$node" />
+      </otherwise>
+    </choose>
+  </function>
+
+
+  <template mode="foo:expand-node"
+            match="element()">
+    <copy>
+      <attribute name="foo:expanded"
+                 select="'true'" />
+
+      <sequence select="@*|node()" />
+    </copy>
+  </template>
+</stylesheet>
diff --git a/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xspec b/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xspec
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eb780abb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/preproc/expand/expand-sequence.xspec
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<!--
+  Tests expansion sequence
+
+  Copyright (C) 2015 LoVullo Associates, Inc.
+
+    This file is part of TAME.
+
+    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+    (at your option) any later version.
+
+    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+    General Public License for more details.
+
+    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+    along with this program.  If not, see
+    <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+-->
+
+<description xmlns="http://www.jenitennison.com/xslt/xspec"
+             xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
+             xmlns:x="http://www.jenitennison.com/xslt/xspec"
+             xmlns:eseq="http://www.lovullo.com/tame/preproc/expand/eseq"
+             xmlns:foo="http://www.lovullo.com/_junk"
+             stylesheet="expand-sequence-test.xsl">
+
+
+  <scenario label="Pass on an expansion sequence">
+    <scenario label="with an empty sequence">
+      <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+        <param name="eseq"
+               select="$foo:empty-eseq" />
+      </call>
+
+      <expect label="eliminates the sequence and yields nothing"
+              select="()" />
+    </scenario>
+
+
+    <scenario label="with no sequence">
+      <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+        <param name="eseq"
+               select="()" />
+      </call>
+
+      <expect label="retains an empty result"
+              select="()" />
+    </scenario>
+
+
+    <scenario label="with an expansion element">
+      <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+        <param name="eseq"
+               select="$foo:a" />
+      </call>
+
+      <expect label="produces expansion sequence node"
+              test="$x:result instance of element( foo:seq )" />
+
+      <expect label="retains expansion sequence node attributes"
+              test="$x:result/@foo = $foo:a/@foo" />
+
+      <expect label="allows the head to expand"
+              test="$x:result/*[1]/@head = 'true'
+                    and $x:result/*[1]/@foo:expanded" />
+    </scenario>
+
+
+    <scenario label="with an expanded node">
+      <!-- notice the additional expand-step calls -->
+      <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+        <param name="eseq"
+               select="eseq:expand-step(
+                         eseq:expand-step( $foo:a ) )" />
+      </call>
+
+      <expect label="hoists expanded element out of sequence"
+              test="$x:result[1] instance of element( foo:node )
+                    and $x:result[1]/@head = 'true'
+                    and $x:result[1]/foo:head" />
+
+      <expect label="maintains remaining sequence"
+              test="$x:result[2] instance of element( foo:seq )
+                    and $x:result[2]/foo:node" />
+    </scenario>
+
+
+    <scenario label="with nodes still pending expansion">
+      <!-- notice the additional expand-step calls -->
+      <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+        <param name="eseq"
+               select="eseq:expand-step(
+                         eseq:expand-step( $foo:unexpandable ) )" />
+      </call>
+
+      <!-- if this fails, then our is-expanded predicate is not being
+           used -->
+      <expect label="retains unexpanded head instead of hoisting"
+              test="$x:result/foo:node/@no-expand = 'true'" />
+    </scenario>
+  </scenario>
+
+
+  <scenario label="Pass on expansion sequence with hoisted node">
+    <variable name="foo:hoisted"
+      select="eseq:expand-step( $foo:expanded )" />
+
+    <call function="eseq:expand-step">
+      <param name="eseq"
+             select="$foo:hoisted" />
+    </call>
+
+    <expect label="maintains previously hoisted nodes"
+            test="$x:result[1] instance of element( foo:node )
+                  and $x:result[1]/@head = 'true'" />
+
+    <expect label="will hoist next node below previously hoisted
+                   node"
+            test="$x:result[2] instance of element( foo:node )
+                  and $x:result[2]/@tail = 'true'" />
+
+    <expect label="maintains empty expansion sequence"
+            test="$x:result[3] instance of element( foo:seq )
+                  and not( $x:result[3]/node() )" />
+
+    <expect label="final pass eliminates empty expansion sequence"
+            test="not( eseq:expand-step( $x:result )/foo:seq )" />
+  </scenario>
+</description>