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Excellence; virtue; dignity; worth; superiority. His excellency is over Israel. Ps. lxviii. 34. Extinguish in men the sense of their own excellency. Hooker.

Superiority; superfluity. [Obs.] Sir K. Digby.

Superiority; advantage; start; precedence. And, but for ceremony, such a wretch . . . Had the forehand and vantage of a king. Shak.

Distinguished mental superiority; uncommon intellectual power; especially, superior power of invention or origination of any kind, or of forming new combinations; as, a man of genius. Genius of the highest kind implies an unusual intensity of the modifyng power. Coleridge.

Holding the superiority; prevalent; controlling; as, a governing wind; a governing party in a state. Jay.

r lover. I was jealous for jealousy. Zech. viii. 2. Jealousy is the . . . apprehension of superiority. Shenstone. Whoever had qualities to alarm our jealousy, had excellence to deserve our fondness. Rambler.

Mastery; superiority; art. See Mastery. [Obs.] Chaucer.

The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically:

Mastery; dominion; superior skill; superiority. Where noble youths for mastership should strive. Driden.

The position or authority of a master; dominion; command; supremacy; superiority. If divided by mountains, they will fight for the mastery of the passages of the tops. Sir W. Raleigh.

A contest to try strength or skill, or to determine superiority; an emulous struggle. "Many a warlike match." Drayton. A solemn match was made; he lost the prize. Dryden.

A game arranged as a test of superiority; also, one of a series of such games.

The quality or state of being noble; superiority of mind or of character; commanding excellence; eminence. Though she hated Amphialus, yet the nobility of her courage prevailed over it. Sir P. Sidney. They thought it great their sovereign to control, And named their pride nobility of soul. Dryden.

st another; excess of one of two things or numbers over the other; inequality; advantage; superiority; hence, excess of chances; probability. "Preëminent by so much odds." Milton. "The fearful odds of that unequal fray." Trench. The odds Is that we scare are men and you are gods. Shak. There appeared, at least, four to…

Hence, figuratively: Alone, by reason of superiority; preëminent; chief. "Motley's the only wear." Shak.

Above; -- implying superiority in excellence, dignity, condition, or value; as, the advantages which the Christian world has over the heathen. Swift.

To gain the superiority; to be victorious. Rev. iii. 21.

The upper hand; advantage; superiority; mastery. He had gotten thereby a great overhand on me. Sir T. More.

Hence: Any symbol or token of superiority, success, or triumph; also, victory; triumph; supremacy. "The palm of martyrdom." Chaucer. So get the start of the majestic world And bear the palm alone. Shak. Molucca palm (Bot.), a labiate herb from Asia (Molucella lævis), having a curious cup-shaped calyx. -- Palm cabbage,…

Separate or distinct by reason of superiority; distinguished; important; noteworthy; unusual; special; as, he brought no particular news; she was the particular belle of the party.