Fine wood shavings used as packing material, or an exclamation meaning 'ever upward' or 'still higher'.
From Latin 'excelsior', comparative of 'excelsus' meaning 'high, lofty'. The word literally means 'higher' and was popularized as a motto meaning continuous aspiration for excellence.
This word gained fame as the motto of New York State and was immortalized in Longfellow's 1841 poem about a young man climbing a mountain with a banner bearing 'Excelsior!' It's also the name of the packing material because the wood shavings were considered a 'superior' alternative to other stuffing materials.
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