pple., adj. and adv. 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 pr. 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 favorable 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., D ij a. So was Iohn the Euangelist most excellent in innocency & in charytie.
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. H. 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. Shaks., Tit. A., II. iii. 5. Know that this Gold must coine a stratageme, Which cunningly effected, will beget A very excellent peece of villany. Ibid. (1605), Lear, I. ii. 128. This is the excellent foppery of the world. Ibid. (1606), Ant. & Cl., I. i. 40. Excellent falshood.
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 impostors of this earth.
† 2. Excelling in rank or dignity; exalted, highly honorable. In heraldic use, a formal epithet indicating a rank higher than that denoted by ‘noble.’ Obs.
c. 1400. Maundev. (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 then 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. Hebr. ii. 1 (1655), 116. 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 vnto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus.
1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, B ij. To the most Illustrious and right Excellent … The Lord Duke of Richmond and Lenox.
1634. Ford, P. Warbeck, V. i. My commission Extends no further, excellentest lady, Than to a service.
† c. Assuming superiority, haughty, ‘superior.’
c. 1430. A. B. C. Aristotle, in Babees Bk. (1868), 11. E 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. Shaks., Oth., II. iii. 77. ’Fore Heauen: an excellent Song. Ibid. (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, 245. The Juice of Strawberries and Limons in Spring-Water is an 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. G. P. R. 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. 2–3. My goodnes extendeth not to thee: But to the Saints, that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
1746–7. Hervey, Medit. (1818), 220. Hast thou not known, the excellent of the earth, who were living images of their Maker?
1821. Mrs. Sherwood, Hist. Geo. Desmond, 85. I did not fail to count myself among the excellent of the earth.
† b. as sb. 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. Shaks., 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 (ed. 3), II. 304. Wine … they have excellent good.
c. c. 1590. Marlowe, Edw. II., V. v. (1594), M. Light. Tell me firs, was it not brauelie done? Gurn. Excellent well.
1604. Shaks., 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.
