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excelsior (ik-SEL-see-uhr) noun
Wood shavings used for packing fragile items. [From a trademark. From Latin, literally higher, from excelsus, high.] "In a glint of needle light, of grass seeds, dew flecks, a friend is throwing her voice While far inside a grainy heaven a butcher's apron ripples its dried blood in the wind. The bark strippings, excelsior, the panicles of the garden. In the midst of summer a friend cuts greens and places them in a bowl as if they were fronds. A friend is a vinegar - and now, pearl-shaped, in clusters, faces among her face, As globes rise on the lawn, each above a root of recriminations." Garden solstice, The Antioch Review, Jun 1, 1996. The word excelsior is also the motto of the New York state: http://50states.com/flag/nyflag.htm It is also the title of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: http://bartleby.com/102/62.html Of course, here they are not exhorting us to take inspiration from wood shavings. Rather these refer to the Latin sense of the word. -Anu This week's theme: Words from the names of newspapers. Examples: The Daily Excelsior (India); the Excelsior (Mexico). ............................................................................ If you are afraid of being lonely, don't try to be right. -Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910) What to give to those who have everything? Give the gift of words. Here is a gift that keeps on giving. To enter a gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day, please visit http://wordsmith.org/awad/gift.html or ask them to subscribe themselves at http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/excelsior.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/excelsior.ram
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