Exceeding

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsiːdɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Going beyond a prescribed threshold or limit in terms of amount or quality
2. Surpassing what is customary or expected in a variety of circumstances
3. Going beyond established boundaries or norms in terms of quantity or quality in various situations

Etymology: "Exceeding" is the present participle of "exceed," so its history is essentially that of the verb it comes from. "Exceed" entered English from Latin "excedere," meaning "to go out" or "to go beyond," built from "ex-" (out) and "cedere" (to go, yield). The original sense was physical movement out of a place, and the idea of surpassing a measure grew naturally from that literal departure. The "-ing" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a verb into a form that can act as an adjective or a continuing action. Used as a modifier, as in "exceeding kindness," it has a slightly old-fashioned, emphatic flavour, and the older phrase "exceeding great" was a common intensifier in earlier English.

Synonyms: surpassing, outdoing

Antonyms: falling short, underachieving