Excelsior
/ɪkˈsɛl.si.ər/noun
Higher; more elevated; also used as a motto meaning “ever upward.”
Did you know?Excelsior is the comparative form of Latin *excelsus* (“high, lofty”), from *excelsus* itself tied to the idea of rising above — which is why it became a favorite motto for ambition and uplift.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to raise, be high”
Latin
Latin
excelsus
“high, lofty, elevated”
Latin
Latin
excelsior
“higher”
17th–18th Century
Latin/English
excelsior
“used as a motto or literary word for “ever upward””
Modern English
English
excelsior
“higher; an exclamation or motto of upward striving”