Part 883

2. A title of honor given to certain high dignitaries, esp. to viceroys, ministers, and ambassadors, to English colonial governors, etc. It was formerly sometimes given to kings and princes.

Ex"cel*lent (?), a. [F. excellent, L. excellens, -entis, p. pr. of excellere. See Excel.] 1. Excelling; surpassing others in some good quality or the sum of qualities; of great worth; eminent, in a good sense; superior; as, an excellent man, artist, citizen, husband, discourse, book, song, etc.; excellent breeding, principles, aims, action.

To love . . . What I see excellent in good or fair.

Milton.

2. Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality; -- used with words of a bad significance. [Obs. or Ironical] "An excellent hypocrite." Hume.

Their sorrows are most excellent.

Beau. & Fl.

Syn. -- Worthy; choice; prime; valuable; select; exquisite; transcendent; admirable; worthy.

Ex"cel*lent, adv. Excellently; eminently; exceedingly. [Obs.] "This comes off well and excellent." Shak.

Ex"cel*lent*ly, adv. 1. In an excellent manner; well in a high degree.

2. In a high or superior degree; -- in this literal use, not implying worthiness. [Obs.]

When the whole heart is excellently sorry.

J. Fletcher.

||Ex*cel"si*or, a. [L., compar. of excelsus elevated, lofty, p. p. of excellere. See Excel, v. t.] More lofty; still higher; ever upward.

Ex*cel"si*or, n. A kind of stuffing for upholstered furniture, mattresses, etc., in which curled shreds of wood are substituted for curled hair.

Ex*cen"tral (?), a. [Pref. ex- + central.] (Bot.) Out of the center.

{ Ex*cen"tric (?), Ex*cen"tric*al (?), } a. 1. Same as Eccentric, Eccentrical.

2. (Bot.) One-sided; having the normally central portion not in the true center. Gray.

Ex`cen*tric"i*ty (?). (Math.) Same as Eccentricity.

Ex*cept" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Excepted; p. pr. & vb. n. Excepting.] [L. exceptus, p. p. of excipere to take or draw out, to except; ex out + capere to take: cf. F. excepter. See Capable.] 1. To take or leave out (anything) from a number or a whole as not belonging to it; to exclude; to omit.

Who never touched The excepted tree.

Milton.

Wherein (if we only except the unfitness of the judge) all other things concurred.

Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. To object to; to protest against. [Obs.] Shak.

Ex*cept", v. i. To take exception; to object; -- usually followed by to, sometimes by against; as, to except to a witness or his testimony.

Except thou wilt except against my love.

Shak.