Exceptional

How to spell exceptional

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce exceptional

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does exceptional mean?

1. adjectiveUnusually good, or far beyond the normal standard.

Exceptional in a sentence

• Her exceptional work earned a promotion within the first year.

• The restaurant is known for exceptional service and fresh ingredients.

Where does exceptional come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin verb excipere, meaning 'to take out' or 'to make an exception', built from ex 'out' and capere 'to take or seize'. From that verb came the noun exceptio, a 'taking out', and the medieval Latin adjective exceptionalis, describing something set apart from the ordinary. English picked it up in the early nineteenth century, first in the plain sense of 'forming an exception' and then in the now-dominant sense of 'unusually good or remarkable'. The same capere root sits inside a large family of everyday words, including accept, receive, capture, and conceive, all of which carry the idea of taking or holding. The spelling trap is hidden in the middle: the silent 'p' in -cept and the single 'c' followed by 'ept' often tempt writers toward the wrong cluster.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• cept (from capere: to take)
• -ion (noun)
• -al (adjective suffix)