高出那條線
兩個意思共用同一個動作，差別只在那條被超過的線畫在哪裡。
be very good at · verb · C2
To be very good at a skill or activity, often clearly better than most other people.
擅長
核心畫面
A picture to hold: a row of heads at the same height, and one rising above the line. Latin ex- 'out' + a root meaning 'height, top' — to stand out upward. Excel is always measured against a line: other people's level, or your own usual level.
「高出那條線」。拉丁字根 ex-（向外、超出）加上一個表示「高處、頂端」的字根（culmen 山頂、column 柱…更多收起
「高出那條線」。拉丁字根 ex-（向外、超出）加上一個表示「高處、頂端」的字根（culmen 山頂、column 柱子都是同一家），合起來是「往上冒出去」。想像一排人站在一起，頭頂連成一條水平線——有一個人的頭高過那條線，那就是 excel。這個字最要緊的地方是：它一定有一條比較的線。線在哪裡，意思就在哪裡：線是「別人的水準」，就是擅長；線是「你自己平常的水準」，就是超常發揮。這也是為什麼 excel 後面很自然接 at（在某件事上冒出頭）。From the word’s history
From Latin excellere: ex- (out) + a root *cellō meaning 'height, top', the same root visible in culmen (summit) and column. To excel is literally to rise out above the surrounding level.
excel 來自拉丁文 excellere，由 ex-（向外、超出）加上一個表示「高、頂」的字根組成——culminate（達到頂點）、column（柱子）都帶著同一個根。字面就是「高出周圍」。今天不管是勝過別人還是勝過自己，都還是那個「冒出一條線」的動作，只是那條線是誰畫的而已。順帶一提，excellent（優秀的）就是這個字的形容詞形，兩個一起記。
Wiktionary, "excel" (Latin excellere; ex- + *cellō, root of culmen "height, top")
One branch
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Excelname/ɪkˈsɛl/
- 1
computingengineeringmathematicsMicrosoft Excel, a spreadsheet application software program written and distributed by Microsoft.
- “Do you know Excel?” ¶ “No.” ¶ “Could you learn?” ¶ “Probably not. I find it very difficult to learn things I don't already know.” Then, remembering the advice that I try to sell myself, I added, “But I'm sure I'd pick it up eventually.”
excelverb/ɪkˈsɛl/
- 1
To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.
- I excelled everyone else with my exam results.
- Compositions which follow the style of Nissi Belzer's creations in structure but which excel them in length.
- 2
To do much better than usual.
- Everyone agreed Magnus really excelled himself this tournament.
- 3
To be much better than others.
- But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels.
- 1924: Aristotle, Metaphysics. Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Book 1, Part 2.. If, then, there is something in what the poets say, and jealousy is natural to the divine power, it would probably occur in this case above all, and all who excelled in this knowledge would be unfortunate.
- 4
archaicrareTo exceed, to go beyond.
- She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood […]
- I reason, we could die : / The best vitality / Cannot excel decay; / But what of that?
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。