Excel
verbTo be exceptionally good at something, or to surpass others in performance.
How to spell excel
5 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce excel
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does excel mean?
- verbTo be exceptionally good at something, or to surpass others in performance.
Excel in a sentence
-
She tends to excel at any task that involves careful planning.
-
Few players excel under that much pressure during a final.
Where does excel come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word comes from the Latin verb excellere, which literally meant 'to rise up out of' or 'to tower above', built from the prefix ex-, meaning 'out' or 'beyond', and the verb root -cellere, meaning 'to rise high' or 'to project upward'. The same root lies behind the English words 'excellent' and 'excellence', all carrying the idea of standing taller than the surrounding crowd. English took the word in during the late 1400s, partly through Old French, and used it for surpassing others in skill or quality. A useful spelling tip hides in the family: the noun 'excellent' has the double l, but the plain verb 'excel' keeps a single l, even though the doubled l returns once you add an ending, as in 'excelled'.
How the word is built
- ex- (out, beyond)
- -cel (from Latin -cellere: to rise high, tower)
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