Etymologically
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excess

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɛksɛs/, /ɪkˈsɛs/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English exces, borrowed from Old French excès and directly excessus (“departure; going beyond bounds”),[2][3][4][5] from excēdere (“to go beyond”) (see exceed), from ex- (“out”) and cēdere (“to go”).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

An extravagant show of emotion, ecstasy: before 1382, in the Wycliffe Bible;[2][6] more than enough, before 1387, in Trevisa.[2]

Semantic evolution

Going beyond proper limits, lack of restraint in indulging the appetites, and the amount by which one quantity exceeds another are from the late 14th century.[3][4] Violence of passion is from 1423.[6] As an adjective, more than is necessary, it is from the late 15th century.[3][5] The insurance excess, the part of a claim the insured pays, is a British use.[7] In excess of means more than.[8][7] The verb, to make a job redundant, is from 1971.[5]

Timeline

  • before 1382 – extravagant emotion.[2]
  • before 1387 – more than enough.[2]
  • late 14th century – overindulgence.[3]
  • late 15th century – the adjective.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An amount of something greater than is necessary, permitted or desirable.
  2. Lack of moderation, especially in eating or drinking; overindulgence.
  3. The amount by which one quantity exceeds another.
  4. (British) The part of an insurance claim paid by the insured person.

Adjective

  1. More than is usual or allowed: excess baggage.

Word family

  • spherical excess
  • excess baggage

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin