A person or thing that is noticeably better than others or stands out from the rest; exceptional or remarkable.
Compound word from 'stand' and 'out,' first used in the late 1800s to describe things that stand out visually, later applied to exceptional people.
A 'standout' literally stands out—the physical meaning became an achievement meaning—showing how concrete descriptions of space (standing out) become abstract descriptions of excellence in English!
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