Word of the week brings you up close and personal with the noble tongue of English. This tongue will be wiggled in places where only the brave dare venture. excess :: ex⋅cess :: /ˈɛksɛs/ -noun 1. superfluously redundant: "you, sir, are an excess," said the president to the flustered pacifist. 2. former success: winner of Olympic gold in 1996, Heli Rantanen is nowadays considered a huge excess. -adjective 3. pertaining to or derived from a singular intent to breed a manatee: though a certified nature-lover, the applicant was chosen over the others due to his excess enthusiasm.

Origin: Originally from the Old Norse incantation jeg e ksess morden hjoerd meaning "I derive pleasure from watching you retch". 1680; a footnote in Ret. Hon. Lord Hickney of Marlborough's journal: "So hither has Creator dumped His excess crap." [tags]word,of,the,week,excess[/tags]