Excellent
/ˈɛk.sə.lənt/noun
Extremely good; outstanding in quality or degree.
Did you know?“Excellent” comes from Latin *excellere*, which originally meant “to rise high” or “stand out,” so the word’s power is in elevation, not just approval.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to rise, be high”
Latin
Latin
excellere
“to rise up, surpass, stand out”
Latin
Latin
excellentem
“surpassing, distinguished”
Old French
Old French
excellent
“excellent, surpassing”
Middle English
English
excellent
“excellent, surpassing in quality”
Modern English
English
excellent
“extremely good; outstanding”