excelsior

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛkˈsɛl.si.ɔː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛkˈsɛl.si.ɚ/, /ɪk-/

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, presently associated with comic book fandom and famous comic book writer Stan Lee, but continuing a long tradition of parodies of the New York State motto, first by Longfellow and continuing through Thurber to Lee.

Noun

excelsior (uncountable)

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

   Synonym: (UK) minikin

Excelsior packing material, also known as wood wool

1. (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.

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

     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

• Finnish: lastuvilla
• Russian: древесная стружка f (drevesnaja stružka)
• Tagalog: sulake

Further reading

• “excelsior”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

excelsior (comparative, neuter excelsius); third declension

1. comparative degree of excelsus

Declension

Third-declension comparative adjective.

	singular			plural
	masc./fem.	neuter		masc./fem.	neuter
nominative	excelsior	excelsius		excelsiōrēs	excelsiōra
genitive	excelsiōris			excelsiōrum
dative	excelsiōrī			excelsiōribus
accusative	excelsiōrem	excelsius		excelsiōrēs excelsiōrīs	excelsiōra
ablative	excelsiōre excelsiōrī			excelsiōribus
vocative	excelsior	excelsius		excelsiōrēs	excelsiōra