Excellence
/ˈɛk.sə.ləns/noun
The quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
Did you know?Excellence comes from Latin ex-cellere, meaning “to rise out” or “to stand above,” a root also tied to words for climbing and height—power was once imagined as elevation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, be high, or project upward”
Latin
Latin
excellere
“to rise up, tower over, surpass”
Late Latin
Latin
excellentia
“superiority, distinction”
Old French
Old French
excellence
“superiority, preeminence”
Middle English
English
excellence
“superiority in quality or rank”
Modern English
English
excellence
“the quality of being outstanding or extremely good”