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n. [ A corrupted spelling of cock's comb. ] 1. (a) A strip of red cloth notched like the comb of a cock, which licensed jesters formerly wore in their caps. (b) The cap itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The top of the head, or the head itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

We will belabor you a little better,
And beat a little more care into your coxcombs. Beau & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A vain, showy fellow; a conceited, silly man, fond of display; a superficial pretender to knowledge or accomplishments; a fop. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fond to be seen, she kept a bevy
Of powdered coxcombs at her levee. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some are bewildered in the maze of schools,
And some made coxcombs, nature meant but fools. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) A name given to several plants of different genera, but particularly to Celosia cristata, or garden cockscomb. Same as Cockscomb. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Befitting or indicating a coxcomb; like a coxcomb; foppish; conceited. -- Cox*comb"ic*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Studded all over in coxcombical fashion with little brass nails. W. Irving. [1913 Webster]

a. like a coxcomb. [ Obs. ] “You coxcombly ass, you!” Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The manners of a coxcomb; foppishness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Coxcombical. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Conceitedly. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excalceatus, p. p. of excalceare to unshoe. See Calceated. ] To deprive of shoes. [ Obs. ] Chambers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depriving or divesting of shoes. [ Obs. ] Chambers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excalfactio. ] A heating or warming; calefaction. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excalfacere to warm; ex out (intens.) + calfacere to warm. ] Serving to heat; warming. [ Obs. ] Cotgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excalfactorius. ] Heating; warming. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The name of King Arthur's mythical sword. [ Written also Excalibar, Excalibor, Escalibar, and Caliburn. ] Tennyson.

{ } v. t. [ LL. excambiare, excambire; L. ex out + cambire. See Change, and cf. Exchange. ] (Scots Law) To exchange; -- used with reference to transfers of land.

{ ‖‖ } n. [ LL. excambium. See Excamb. ] (Scots Law) Exchange; barter; -- used commonly of lands. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excandescentia. ] 1. A growing hot; a white or glowing heat; incandescence. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Violent anger; a growing angry. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. excandescens, p. pr. of excandescere to take fire, glow; ex out (intens.) + candescere to begin to glisten or glow, fr. candere. See Candid. ] White or glowing with heat. [ R. ] Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excantare to charm out. See Ex&unr_;, and Chant. ] Disenchantment by a countercharm. [ Obs. ] Gayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ LL. excarnatus, p. p. of excarnare; L. ex out + caro, carnis, flesh. ] To deprive or clear of flesh. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depriving or divesting of flesh; excarnification; -- opposed to incarnation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. ex out + LL. carnificatus, p. p. carnificare to carnify; cf. L. excarnificare to tear to pieces, torment. See Carnify. ] To clear of flesh; to excarnate. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of excarnificating or of depriving of flesh; excarnation. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excavated p. pr. & vb. n. Excavating ] [ L. excavatus, p. p. of excavare to excavate; ex out + cavare to make hollow, cavus hollow. See Cave. ] 1. To hollow out; to form cavity or hole in; to make hollow by cutting, scooping, or digging; as, to excavate a ball; to excavate the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form by hollowing; to shape, as a cavity, or anything that is hollow; as, to excavate a canoe, a cellar, a channel. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) To dig out and remove, as earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The material excavated was usually sand. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excavating pump, a kind of dredging apparatus for excavating under water, in which silt and loose material mixed with water are drawn up by a pump. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excavatio: cf. F. excavation. ] 1. The act of excavating, or of making hollow, by cutting, scooping, or digging out a part of a solid mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping. “A winding excavation.” Glover. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Engin.) (a) An uncovered cutting in the earth, in distinction from a covered cutting or tunnel. (b) The material dug out in making a channel or cavity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The delivery of the excavations at a distance of 250 feet. E. L. Corthell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, excavates or hollows out; a machine, as a dredging machine, or a tool, for excavating. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excavare. ] To excavate. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. excaecatus, p. p. of excaecare to blind; ex (intens.) + caecare to blind, caecus blind. ] To blind. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of making blind. [ Obs. ] Bp. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. excedens, -entis, p. pr. of excedere. See Exceed, v. t. ] Excess. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Exceeded; p. pr. & vb. n. Exceeding. ] [ L. excedere, excessum, to go away or beyond; ex out + cedere to go, to pass: cf. F. excéder. See Cede. ] To go beyond; to proceed beyond the given or supposed limit or measure of; to outgo; to surpass; -- used both in a good and a bad sense; as, one man exceeds another in bulk, stature, weight, power, skill, etc.; one offender exceeds another in villainy; his rank exceeds yours. [ 1913 Webster ]

Name the time, but let it not
Exceed three days. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Observes how much a chintz exceeds mohair. Pope.

Syn. -- To outdo; surpass; excel; transcend; outstrip; outvie; overtop. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To go too far; to pass the proper bounds or measure. “In our reverence to whom, we can not possibly exceed.” Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed. Deut. xxv. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be more or greater; to be paramount. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of exceeding or surpassing. [ Obs. ] Sherwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who exceeds. Bp. Montagu. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. More than usual; extraordinary; more than sufficient; measureless. “The exceeding riches of his grace.” Eph. ii. 7. -- Ex*ceed"ing*ness, n. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney. [1913 Webster]

adv. In a very great degree; extremely; exceedingly. [ Archaic. It is not joined to verbs. ] “The voice exceeding loud.” Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow. Mark ix. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Genoese were exceeding powerful by sea. Sir W. Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. To a very great degree; beyond what is usual; surpassingly. It signifies more than very. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excelled p. pr. & vb. n. Excelling. ] [ L. excellere, excelsum; ex out + a root found in culmen height, top; cf. F. exceller. See Culminate, Column. ] 1. To go beyond or surpass in good qualities or laudable deeds; to outdo or outgo, in a good sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excelling others, these were great;
Thou, greater still, must these excel. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. Eccl. ii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exceed or go beyond; to surpass. [ 1913 Webster ]

She opened; but to shut
Excelled her power; the gates wide open stood. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To surpass others in good qualities, laudable actions, or acquirements; to be distinguished by superiority; as, to excel in mathematics, or classics. [ 1913 Webster ]

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel. Gen. xlix. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then peers grew proud in horsemanship t' excel. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. excellence, L. excellentia. ] 1. The quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree; exalted merit; superiority in virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

Consider first that great
Or bright infers not excellence. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An excellent or valuable quality; that by which any one excels or is eminent; a virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

With every excellence refined. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A title of honor or respect; -- more common in the form excellency. [ 1913 Webster ]

I do greet your excellence
With letters of commission from the king. Shak.

Syn. -- Superiority; preëminence; perfection; worth; goodness; purity; greatness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Excellencies 1. Excellence; virtue; dignity; worth; superiority. [ 1913 Webster ]

His excellency is over Israel. Ps. lxviii. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

Extinguish in men the sense of their own excellency. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A title of honor given to certain high dignitaries, esp. to viceroys, ministers, and ambassadors, to English colonial governors, etc. It was formerly sometimes given to kings and princes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. excellent, L. excellens, -entis, p. pr. of excellere. See Excel. ] 1. Excelling; surpassing others in some good quality or the sum of qualities; of great worth; eminent, in a good sense; superior; as, an excellent man, artist, citizen, husband, discourse, book, song, etc.; excellent breeding, principles, aims, action. [ 1913 Webster ]

To love . . .
What I see excellent in good or fair. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality; -- used with words of a bad significance. [ Obs. or Ironical ] “An excellent hypocrite.” Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their sorrows are most excellent. Beau. & Fl.

Syn. -- Worthy; choice; prime; valuable; select; exquisite; transcendent; admirable; worthy. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Excellently; eminently; exceedingly. [ Obs. ] “This comes off well and excellent.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an excellent manner; well in a high degree. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a high or superior degree; -- in this literal use, not implying worthiness. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

When the whole heart is excellently sorry. J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ a. [ L., compar. of excelsus elevated, lofty, p. p. of excellere. See Excel, v. t. ] More lofty; still higher; ever upward. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of stuffing for upholstered furniture, mattresses, etc., in which curled shreds of wood are substituted for curled hair. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. ex- + central. ] (Bot.) Out of the center.

{ } a. 1. Same as Eccentric, Eccentrical. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) One-sided; having the normally central portion not in the true center. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Math.) Same as Eccentricity. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Excepted; p. pr. & vb. n. Excepting. ] [ L. exceptus, p. p. of excipere to take or draw out, to except; ex out + capere to take: cf. F. excepter. See Capable. ] 1. To take or leave out (anything) from a number or a whole as not belonging to it; to exclude; to omit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who never touched
The excepted tree. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wherein (if we only except the unfitness of the judge) all other things concurred. Bp. Stillingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To object to; to protest against. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]