excellence
(ˈɛksələns)
[a. F. excellence, ad. L. excellentia, f. excellent-em excellent.]
1. The state or fact of excelling; the possession chiefly of good qualities in an eminent or unusual degree; surpassing merit, skill, virtue, worth, etc.; dignity, eminence.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Macc. vi. 23 And he bigan for to thenke the worthi excellence of age. 1413 Lydg. Pilgr. Sowle iv. xxviii. (1483) 74 Lucifer and his felaushyp..delytynge them to..wondren vppon theyr owne excellence. 1514 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 13 All the children..He set in honour, and rowme of excellence. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 208 b, The sublimite or hye excellence of the crosse of Chryst. 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 87 The mind of beastly man..hath soone forgot the excellence Of his creation. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. ii. 113 Whatsoever cunning fiend it was, That wrought upon thee so preposterously, Hath got the voyce in hell for excellence. 1602 ― Ham. v. ii. 143 Sir, you are not ignorant of what excellence Laertes is at his weapon. a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) I. 10 One..for his Excellence In height'ning Words and shad'wing Sense..Was magnify'd. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 178 Superior excellence of any kind..is the object of awe and reverence to all creatures. 1779–81 Johnson L. P. Pope Wks. IV. 73 Those..who attain any excellence commonly spend life in one pursuit. 1833 N. Arnott Physics (ed. 5) II. 167 The brightest examples have arisen of intellectual and moral excellence. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. i. 49 That..most difficult condition of commercial excellence under which man should deal faithfully with his brother. |
b. Phrases: † in excellence of = superior to (obs.). by (an, way of) excellence; in early use translating L. per, propter excellentiam, Gr. κατ' ἐξοχήν, in later use = Fr. par excellence: (so called) as being preëminently entitled to the designation given. Now rare. Cf. eminence 8 c.
| c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 17 While þat Rome was in excellence Of alle Realmes in dignite. 1613 Bp. Hall Holy Panegyrick Wks. (1627) 476 Attendance on His [God's] ordinance (which by an excellence is tearmed His seruice). a 1704 T. Brown Sat. Antients Wks. 1730 I. 18 Lucilius having..embellished it [this poem], ought by way of excellence, to be esteemed the first author. 1822 T. L. Peacock Maid Marian ix, Richard the First of England, the arch-crusader and anti-jacobin by excellence. 1838–9 Hallam Hist. Lit. II. iii. ii. §5. 102 Cesalpin was denominated, by excellence, the Philosopher. 1846 Grote Greece (1854) I. 55 In the mouth of an Athenian, Demeter and Persephone were always the Mother and Daughter, by excellence. |
2. That in which a person or thing excels; an excellent feature or quality.
| c 1391 Chaucer Astrol. ii. §26 The excellence of the spere solide..shewyth manifeste the diverse assenciouns of signes in diverse places. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. i. iii. 127 To. What is thy excellence in a galliard, knight? And. Faith, I can cut a caper. 1703 Locke in Four C. Eng. Lett. 142 The adoration due to your other excellences. 1752 Johnson Rambler No. 208 ¶12 Some [papers] may be found, of which the highest excellence is harmless merriment. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. viii. (1858) 325 The great excellence of the eastern table-land was..in pasture and in forest. 1876 J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. I. i. iv. 197 Civilized nations allow that foreigners have their specific excellences. |
† b. An excellent action; a kindness, favour. Obs.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2045 Ariadne, Yow that don me this excellence. |
† 3. a. An excellent personality. Obs.
| 1447 O. Bokenham Seyntys Introd. (Roxb.) 5, I diligence Do to plesyn the wurthy excellence Of thys holy maydyn. 1633 Ford Broken H. iv. ii, Y'are to render Account to that faire Excellence, the Princesse. 1722 E. Heywood British Recluse 20 Blush not, fair Excellence! 1790 A. M. Johnson Monmouth II. 95 That sainted excellence fell under the repeated strokes of their bloody swords! |
† b. As a title of honour; = excellency 3 b. Obs.
| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon (1630) 51 If it may please the Lady Ellinor, One day shall match your Excellence and her. 1642 Sir H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 91 To treat w{supt}{suph} his excellence ab{supt} exchange of prisoners. 1670 G. H. Hist. Cardinals ii. iii. 184 The accident that happen'd betwixt his Excellences Servants, and the Corsi. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 497 ¶2 He told his Excellence, That he [the speaker] had pretended..to be wiser than he really was. 1737 Pope Hor. Epist. ii. ii. 44 Next pleas'd his Excellence a town to batter. 1796 Burney Metastasio I. 403 Being furnished with a letter from me to your excellence. |
Hence ˈexcellenceˌship. nonce-wd.
| c 1716 Lett. fr. Mist's Wkly. Jrnl. (1722) I. 59 To his Excellenceship the Author of the Weekly Journal. |