excelsior

Meaning

Adj

1. (archaic, not-comparable, poetic, rare) Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward.
2. (archaic, not-comparable, poetic, rare) More surpassing, more excelling.

Intj

1. (dated) Onward; a rallying cry for progress.
2. (especially, slang) A greeting, farewell or acclamation.

Noun

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

Synonyms

wood shavings

shavings

splinter

chip

wood wool

wood flour

wood meal

Translations

talaş

دقيق الخشب

Holzwolle

Brillant

Holzmehl

Viertelcicero

ροκανίδια

υπέρτερος

diamant

farine de bois

excelsior

diamante

النشارة

trucioli di legno

houtwol

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɛkˈsɛl.si.ɔː/

Etymology

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.