4 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Excess \Ex*cess"\, n. [OE. exces, excess, ecstasy, L. excessus a
going out, loss of self-possession, fr. excedere, excessum,
to go out, go beyond: cf. F. exc[`e]s. See {Exceed}.]
1. The state of surpassing or going beyond limits; the being
of a measure beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; that
which exceeds what is usual or prover; immoderateness;
superfluity; superabundance; extravagance; as, an excess
of provisions or of light.
To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, To throw a
perfume on the violet, . . . Is wasteful and
ridiculous excess. --Shak.
That kills me with excess of grief, this with excess
of joy. --Walsh.
2. An undue indulgence of the appetite; transgression of
proper moderation in natural gratifications; intemperance;
dissipation.
Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess. --Eph. v.
18.
Thy desire . . . leads to no excess That reaches
blame. --Milton.
3. The degree or amount by which one thing or number exceeds
another; remainder; as, the difference between two numbers
is the excess of one over the other.
{Spherical excess} (Geom.), the amount by which the sum of
the three angles of a spherical triangle exceeds two right
angles. The spherical excess is proportional to the area
of the triangle.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
excess
adj : more than is needed, desired, or required; "trying to lose
excess weight"; "found some extra change lying on the
dresser"; "yet another book on heraldry might be
thought redundant"; "skills made redundant by
technological advance"; "sleeping in the spare room";
"supernumerary ornamentation"; "it was supererogatory
of her to gloat"; "delete superfluous (or unnecessary)
words"; "extra ribs as well as other supernumerary
internal parts"; "surplus cheese distributed to the
needy" [syn: {extra}, {redundant}, {spare}, {supererogatory},
{superfluous}, {supernumerary}, {surplus}]
n 1: a quantity much larger than is needed [syn: {surplus}, {surplusage},
{nimiety}]
2: immoderation as a consequence of going beyond sufficient or
permitted limits [syn: {excessiveness}, {inordinateness}]
3: the state of being more than full [syn: {surfeit}, {overabundance}]
4: excessive indulgence; "the child was spoiled by
overindulgence" [syn: {overindulgence}]
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
EXCESS, n. In morals, an indulgence that enforces by appropriate
penalties the law of moderation.
Hail, high Excess -- especially in wine,
To thee in worship do I bend the knee
Who preach abstemiousness unto me --
My skull thy pulpit, as my paunch thy shrine.
Precept on precept, aye, and line on line,
Could ne'er persuade so sweetly to agree
With reason as thy touch, exact and free,
Upon my forehead and along my spine.
At thy command eschewing pleasure's cup,
With the hot grape I warm no more my wit;
When on thy stool of penitence I sit
I'm quite converted, for I can't get up.
Ungrateful he who afterward would falter
To make new sacrifices at thine altar!
From eng-fra [engfra]:
excess
[ekses]
excรจs