excelsior

English

Etymology

From Latin excelsior, comparative of excelsus (“high”). The name of the stuffing material was originally a trademark.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛkˈsɛlsɪɔː/

Adjective

excelsior (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward.
2. More surpassing, more excelling.

Interjection

excelsior

1. A greeting, farewell or acclamation, especially associated with comic book fandom and famous comic book writer Stan Lee.

Noun

excelsior (uncountable)

2. (US printing, dated) The size of type between Norse and brilliant, standardized as 3-point.

   Synonym: (UK) minikin

3. (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 2001, p. 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.

   • 2015 March 31, Margalit Fox, “Gary Dahl, Inventor of the Pet Rock, Dies at 78”, in The New York Times‎^[1], ISSN 0362-4331:

     Each Pet Rock came in a cardboard carrying case, complete with air holes, tenderly nestled on a bed of excelsior.

Translations

3-point type

• Dutch: kwart cicero
• French: diamant (fr)
• German: Brillant (de), Viertelcicero

• Italian: diamante (it)
• Spanish: diamante (es)

stuffing made of slender, curled wood shavings

• Russian: древесная стружка f

• Tagalog: sulake

Further reading

• “excelsior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

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Latin

Etymology

excelsus (“elevated”, “lofty”) +‎ -ior (suffix forming adjectives’ comparative degrees)

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ekˈskel.si.or/, [ɛkˈs̠kɛɫ̪s̠iɔr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ekˈʃel.si.or/, [ekˈʃɛlsior]

Adjective

excelsior (neuter excelsius, positive excelsus); third declension

1. higher, loftier, more elevated
2. more surpassing, (yet) more excelling

Declension

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