excellent, pple., a., and adv.
(ˈɛksələnt)
Forms: 4–5 excelent(e, exellent, -ilent, 5–6 excellente, 6 exelent (pl. excellentes), 4– excellent.
[a. F. excellent, ad. L. excellent-em, pr. pple. of excellĕre to excel.]
A. as pres. pple. [cf. -ent 2]. Excelling.
| c 1400 Beryn 1110 Some fair lusty lady, that of pulcritude Were excellent al othir. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. vii. 15 Tat Prynce excellent in vysdwme All Pryncis of þe Crystyndwme. 1513 Douglas æneis xiii. vii. 30 Eneas..excellent all the lave. |
B. adj. 1. Of a person or thing: That excels or surpasses in any respect; preëminent, superior, supreme. Of qualities: Existing in a greater, or an exceptionally great, degree.
† a. in favourable sense.
Obs. merged in 3.
| 1382 Wyclif 1 Cor. xii. 31 Sue ȝe the bettere gostli ȝyftis. And ȝit I schewe to ȝou a more excellent weye. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 341 Plato was most excellent among Socrates [his] disciples. c 1430 Life St. Kath. (1884) 17 The excellent beute was so greet that..Adrian..fille doun before hem wyth greet drede. 1539 Tonstall Serm. Palm Sund. (1823) 52 John the Euangelist most excellent in innocency. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 49 The excellente artificers Ooliab and Beselchel. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. iii. i. xxi. (ed. 7) 326 They [the stars] are darkned by the excellent brightnesse of the Sunne. 1604 T. Wright Passions iv. i. 115 He that employeth his wit to many sciences, commonly cannot be excellent in any. 1610 A. Cooke Pope Joan in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) IV. 20 St. Andrew's Church at Bourdeaux, one of the excellentest Churches in all France. 1656 More Antid. Ath. (1712) 62 The excellent usefulness of the Horse. 1744 Harris Three Treat. (1841) 27 To consider..which, upon the whole, is more excellent than the other two. |
† b. in bad or neutral sense.
Obs. or
arch.| 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 7 A very excellent peece of villany. 1605 ― Lear i. ii. 128 This is the excellent foppery of the world. 1606 ― Ant. & Cl. i. i. 40 Excellent fals⁓hood. 1629 Chapman Juvenal v. 282 Nor any excellentest Zany can More then a weeping-gut. [Lat. plorante gula] delight a man. 1649 Jer. Taylor Gt. Exemp. iii. §15. 160 Crucifixion was an excellent pain, sharp and passionate. 1759 Hume Hist. Eng. xlii. (1805) V. 305 Elizabeth..was an excellent hypocrite. 1818 Shelley Julian 242 Those absurd deceits..carry through The excellent imposters of this earth. |
† 2. Excelling in rank or dignity; exalted, highly honourable. In heraldic use, a formal epithet indicating a rank higher than that denoted by ‘noble’.
Obs.| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxiv. 109 He es halden þe maste excellent emperour of þe werld. c 1430 Life St. Kath. (1884) 17 Than oon þat was more excellent þan anoþer spake first. 1486 Bk. St. Albans, Her. A j a, It is shewyd..of rigalities wiche ben noble and wich ben excellent. 1526 Tindale Heb. i. 4 He hath by inheritaunce obteyned an excellenter name than haue they. 1565 Harding in Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 251 He would..aduance these Creatures [Bread and Wine] to a much excellenter condition. 1611 Bible Ps. cxlviii. 13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord, for his Name alone is excellent [marg. exalted]. a 1653 Gouge Comm. Heb. ii. 1 God sent..his Son, more excellent than the excellentest meer creature. 1702 A. de Moivre Meth. Squaring Curves in Misc. Cur. (1708) II. 158 That Excellent Person thinks this Series not to be General enough. |
† b. As a title of address.
Obs.| 1611 Bible Luke i. 3 To write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena B ij, To the most Illustrious and right Excellent..The Lord Duke of Richmond. 1634 Ford P. Warbech v. i, My commission Extends no further, excellentest lady, Than to a service. |
† c. Assuming superiority, haughty, ‘superior’.
| c 1430 A. B. C. in Babees Bk. 11 [Don't be] To elenge, ne to excellent, ne to eernesful neiþer. |
3. (The current sense; originally a contextual use of 1.) Used as an emphatic expression of praise or approval, whether of persons, things, or actions: Extremely good.
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 77 'Fore Heauen: an excellent Song. 1606 ― Tr. & Cr. i. ii. 197 Here's an excellent place, heere we may see most brauely. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 186 The..Felicity of an excellent Gard'ner. Ibid. 189 The Dung of Pigeons and Poultry..is excellent for the Fig-Tree. 1700 Dryden Fables Ded., I have enjoy'd the patronage of your family from the time of your excellent grandfather. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet Wks. I. 247 A most excellent Drink in bilious Fevers. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 790 Some minds..taste Of what is excellent in man. 1833 Lamb Elia Ser. ii. xix. (1865) 371, I rattled off some of my most excellent absurdities. 1849 James Woodman vii, Are you sure these excellent friends of yours have gone on? 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 325 Colin Macdonald of Keppoch, an excellent specimen of the genuine Highland Jacobite. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. xviii. 124 The snow was in excellent order. |
| absol. 1611 Bible Ps. xvi. 3 My goodnes extendeth..to the Saints..and to the excellent. 1746–7 Hervey Medit. (1818) 220 Hast thou not known, the excellent of the earth, who were living images of their Maker? 1821 Hist. Geo. Desmond 85, I did not fail to count myself among the excellent of the earth. |
† b. as
n. in pl. Excellencies.
Obs. rare.
| 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de. W.) ii. xvii. N iij, Honour, glorye..and all other excellentes and perfeccyons. |
† C. adv. = excellently.
Obs. a. With verbs.
b. With
adjs. and
ppl. adjs.; with the latter often hyphened.
c. With advbs.
well,
ill.
| a. 1483 Caxton Cato B j, Alexander..to Socrates made reuerence ryght excellente and publykely. 1607 Shakes. Timon i. i. 29 Pain, 'Tis a good Peece. Poet. So 'tis, this comes off well, and excellent. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. ii. xvi. 109 Here it doth most excellent. |
| b. 1586 Cogan Haven Health xlvi. (1636) 60 It [Blessed Thistle] is excellent good against any kind of Feaver. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 144 A number of excellent penned discourses. 1681 Nevile Plato Rediv. 24 Your excellent-built Vessel. 1719 De Foe Crusoe (1840) II. xvi. 327 Wine.. they have excellent good. |
| c. 1590 Marlowe Edw. II, v. v. Wks. (Rtldg.) 220/2 Ligh. Was it not bravely done? Gur. Excellent well. 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 121 Excellent well. 1612 Chapman Widowes T. in Dodsley O. Pl. (1780) VI. 202 How excellent ill this humour suits our habit. 1756 W. Toldervy Hist. Two Orphans II. 116 They..doubted not of doing excellent well. |