Excellences

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of being exceptionally good or outstanding in quality or performance
2. A distinguished quality or feature that sets someone or something apart from others
3. The degree of superiority or merit that makes an individual or entity admirable

Etymology: Excellence comes from Latin "excellere", meaning "to rise up" or "to surpass", built from "ex-" (out) and "celsus" (high), so the core image is something lifting above its surroundings. The Latin noun "excellentia" carried that sense of standing out, and it passed into Old French as "excellence" before reaching English in the Middle Ages. The plural "excellences" is the form of this noun used when speaking of several distinct qualities of superiority, or of persons or things regarded as having outstanding merit. It is the plural of "excellence", so its history is the same as that of the singular.

Synonyms: merits, virtues, qualities, distinctions, superiorities

Antonyms: inferiorities, flaws, shortcomings, deficiencies, vices