Excelso
/ɛkˈsɛl.soʊ/noun
A rare English adjective meaning lofty, elevated, or sublime, borrowed from Romance languages and used mainly in literary or poetic contexts.
Did you know?Excelso ultimately comes from Latin ex- (“out, up”) + celsus (“high, lofty”), a root family that also gave English words tied to height and exaltation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to be high, to rise”
Latin
Latin
celsus
“high, lofty, elevated”
Latin
Latin
excelsus
“very high, lofty, towering”
Old Spanish / Old Italian
Romance
excelso
“lofty, exalted”
Modern English
English
excelso
“rare literary borrowing meaning lofty or sublime”