excelsior
English edit
Etymology edit
From Latin excelsior, comparative of excelsus (“high”). The name of the stuffing material was originally a trademark.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
excelsior (not comparable)
- (archaic) Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward.
- More surpassing, more excelling.
Interjection edit
excelsior
- A greeting, farewell or acclamation, especially associated with comic book fandom and famous comic book writer Stan Lee.
Noun edit
excelsior (uncountable)
- (US printing, dated) The size of type between Norse and brilliant, standardized as 3-point.
- Synonym: (UK) minikin
- (Canada, US) Stuffing material (as for furniture and mattresses) made of slender, curled woodshavings, as a substitute for hair.
- Synonym: wood wool
- 1942, Elliot Paul, The Last Time I Saw Paris, Sickle Moon, published 2001, page 91:
- These little mangers, with baby dolls representing Jesus, porcelean Josephs and Marys, wide-eyed cows of papier-mâché, and excelsior for straw, were purchased by pious parents for well-behaved children at Christmas-tide.
- 1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 13:
- Working both [of them] at Kroll's then, she selling candy and cashews in a white smock with "Jan" stitched on her pocket and he lugging easy chairs and maple end tables around on the floor above, hammering apart packing crates from nine to five, the itch of the packing excelsior getting into his nose and eyes and making them burn.
Translations edit
3-point type
|
stuffing made of slender, curled wood shavings
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Further reading edit
- “excelsior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Latin edit
Etymology edit
excelsus (“elevated”, “lofty”) + -ior (suffix forming adjectives’ comparative degrees)
Pronunciation edit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ekˈskel.si.or/, [ɛkˈs̠kɛɫ̪s̠iɔr]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ekˈʃel.si.or/, [ekˈʃɛlsior]
Adjective edit
excelsior (neuter excelsius); third declension
Declension edit
Third-declension comparative adjective.
Number | Singular | Plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Case / Gender | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | Masc./Fem. | Neuter | |
Nominative | excelsior | excelsius | excelsiōrēs | excelsiōra | |
Genitive | excelsiōris | excelsiōrum | |||
Dative | excelsiōrī | excelsiōribus | |||
Accusative | excelsiōrem | excelsius | excelsiōrēs | excelsiōra | |
Ablative | excelsiōre | excelsiōribus | |||
Vocative | excelsior | excelsius | excelsiōrēs | excelsiōra |