See Also: Excess Value(money)
excess(dictionary)
Excess(medicine)
Excess selenium(health)
Excess reserves(money)
Excess profits tax(money)
Excess margin(money)
Excess kurtosis(money)
Excess accumulation(money)
Excess returns(money)

excess (iou)



excess noun, adjective, & verb. LME.
[Old & mod. French exces from Latin excessus, from excess- pa. ppl stem of excedere EXCEED.]
A. noun.
I. The action of going out; adjournment. rare. LME-E17.
In full excess of mind, excess of soul. An ecstasy; a trance. LME-E17.
(A display of) extravagant emotion. LME-M18.
In pl. & sing. Extravagant violation of law, decency, or morality; outrageous acts or conduct. LME.
P. Warner He..allowed his army to commit all the excesses that are particularly hateful.
The action or an act of exceeding the limits of moderation, esp. in eating or drinking; (an) indulgence. LME.
O. W. Holmes What had he been doing to get his head in such a state?had he..committed an excess? H. Acton Reading was Nancy's sole excess: in everything else she was moderate. B. Bainbridge Liverish from the previous night's excess. N. Annan Walking..to dispel the excesses of Christmas Eve dinner.
The state of being in greater quantity or degree than is usual, necessary, appropriate, or beneficial; superabundance; an extreme or excessive amount or degree of something. LME.
to excess to an inappropriate or overindulgent extent, excessively.
Isaiah Berlin All the criticisms directed against this or that writer for an excess of bias or fancy. K. Amis Excess of energy was really her trouble. A. Burgess Tired eyes, as from an excess of recent deskwork.
b. Chemistry. An amount of a substance greater than that needed to effect a given reaction or change. E19.
C. L. Bloxam The carbonates of potash and soda are fused with an excess of arsenious acid.
The amount by which one number or quantity exceeds another; spec. a sum payable by an insured party in the event of a claim, the insurer paying the amount by which the claim exceeds this sum. LME.
b. Usury, interest. rare (Shakes.). Only in L16.
The fact of exceeding something else in amount or degree; preponderance. Formerly also, the fact of surpassing or excelling others. E17.
in excess of more than.
Departure from custom, reason, etc. E-M18.
The action or an act of exceeding one's authority, rights, etc. E19.
II.
= ACCESS noun 1b. M16-M17.
b. adjective. Constituting an excess; esp. exceeding the appropriate or stipulated amount. Usu. attrib. (After M17 obsolete until L19.) LME.
excess fare payment due for travelling further or in a higher class than one's ticket allows. excess luggage luggage over the weight for which free carriage is permitted. excess postage payment due when the stamps on a letter etc. are insufficient.
H. James He was not absolutely simple, which would have been excess; he was only relatively simple, which was quite enough. B. Spock The body..gets rid of excess water through the urine. B. Trapido There is excess rubbish piling up..beside the overflowing rubbish bin.
C. verb trans.
Subject to an excess fare. L19.
Declare (an employee) redundant. US. L20.