armstron@sjuvax.UUCP (01/27/84)
After years of reading Marvel comics I'm finally getting the nerve to ask. Does anyone really know what EXCELSIOR means. If so please let me know. Thanks in Advance. Len Armstrong St. Joseph's University P.S. According to WEBSTER'S NEW HANDY POCKET DICTIONARY the definition is : "Fine wood shavings". (Beets the heck out of me)
ciaraldi@rochester.UUCP (01/31/84)
"Excelsior" is the state motto of New York. It comes from the Latin and means basically "ever higher", in the connotation of "better" or "more advanced", etc., rather than "more stoned". The desktop version of the American Heritage Dictionary also has only the "wood shavings" definition, but says it originally came from a trade name. Incidentally, Stan Lee talked about the meaning of "Excelsior" 2 or 3 issues back in Marvel Age magazine, in a reprint from the Sixties. Also incidentally, the motto of the University of Rochester is "Meliora", which means "Ever better". Some people think it should have instead been "Mediocre"! Mike Ciaraldi ciaraldi@rochester