excelsior

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excelsior

/ɛkˈsɛl.si.ɔː/ UK
/ɛkˈsɛl.si.ɚ/ US
/ɪk-/ US

Where it comes from

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.

adjective

archaic, not comparable, poetic, rare Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward. There was with him a whole host of moral heroes, who, conscious of their power to win the victory , and quickened by the inspirations which they received from that higher state of being, were striving, by the excelsior movement of the soul, to attain to those glory-encircled heights from whence they
archaic, not comparable, poetic, rare More surpassing, more excelling. It was clear from the first three paragraphs that the language employed by Mr Tolkien was excelsior. He was brilliant.

interjection

dated Onward; a rallying cry for progress. ... and when the shout 'Excelsior!' echoed, up the oaken heights, Two hundred heels went thundering all at once, Four stairs at every jump
especially, slang A greeting, farewell or acclamation. MARTIN PRINCE: Finally, Bart's one of us! NERDS: Excelsior!

noun

US, dated, uncountable The size of type between Norse and brilliant, standardized as 3-point.
Similar: minikin
Canada, US, uncountable Stuffing material (as for furniture and mattresses) made of slender, curled woodshavings, as a substitute for hair. 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.
Similar: wood wool

Translations

Every language

noun 3-point type

Español	diamante
Français	diamant
Deutsch	Brillant, Viertelcicero
Italiano	diamante

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MLA

"excelsior." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/excelsior. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

excelsior. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/excelsior

Chicago

"excelsior." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/excelsior.

BibTeX

@misc{excelsior_2026,
  title = {excelsior},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/excelsior},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}