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exceed

Etymology and origin of the English word exceed

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1374
Borrowed from
Old French exceder via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (cēdō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪkˈsiːd/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English exceden, borrowed from Old French exceder (“to exceed, surpass”),[2][3][4][5] from Latin excēdō (“to depart, go beyond, surpass”), from ex- (“out”) and cēdō (“to go, yield”) (see cede),[2][3][4][6] from Proto-Indo-European *ked- (“to go, yield”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To pass beyond boundaries, to transcend: about 1374 in the OED, about 1380 in Chaucer's Boethius in Barnhart, the late 14th century in Etymonline.[7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

To be greater than is from about 1391,[7] and to surpass or outdo from about 1425.[7] To transgress a law (1393) and to go too far, break out (about 1470) are obsolete senses.[7] To exceed one's rights is from 1542, and to exaggerate from 1717.[7] Exceeding is from 1494 and exceedingly from 1535;[2] Etymonline notes that exceedingly means very greatly, while excessively means too much.[3]

Timeline

  • c. 1374 – to pass beyond.[7]
  • c. 1391 – to be greater than.[7]
  • c. 1425 – to surpass.[7]
  • 1494 – exceeding.[2]
  • 1535 – exceedingly.[2]
  • 1717 – to exaggerate.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To be greater than in size, amount or degree.
  2. To go beyond the limits of: to exceed a speed limit.
  3. To be superior to; to excel.

Word family

  • exceedable
  • exceeder
  • unexceeded
  • exceedance
  • exceeding
  • exceedingly

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Exceed.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/exceed. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·