Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
adj
Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, not-comparable, poetic, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
More surpassing, more excelling.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, not-comparable, poetic, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
Onward; a rallying cry for progress.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
intj
A greeting, farewell or acclamation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: especially, slang
Topics: comics, lifestyle, literature, media, publishing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The size of type between Norse and brilliant, standardized as 3-point.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, dated, uncountable
Topics: media, printing, publishing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: minikin
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Stuffing material (as for furniture and mattresses) made of slender, curled woodshavings, as a substitute for hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, US, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: wood wool
Antonyms: none provided
noun
thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: wood shavings
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: packing material, packing, wadding
History
From Latin excelsior, comparative of excelsus (“high”). The name of the stuffing material was originally a trademark. As an exclamation, originating in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Excelsior (1841), based on the New York state motto. Popularized in the comic book fandom by Marvel Comics editor Stan Lee, who chose the term to sign off his columns as it was an obscure term and would confound competing publishers who imitated his style.
Across languages
7 source translations are retained for this English entry.
