# par excellence
## English
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French par excellence (“excellently, in an especially representative way; above all”), a calque of Latin per excellentiam, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κατ’ ἐξοχήν (kat’ exokhḗn).

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˌpɑːɹ ˌɛksəˈlɑːns/, /ˌpɑːɹ ˈɛksəlɑːns/, /ˌpɑːɹ ˌɛksəˈlɒ̃s/, /ˌpɑːɹ ˈɛksəlɒ̃s/
* (US) IPA: /ˌpɑɹ ˌɛksəˈlɑns/

### Adverb

par excellence (not comparable)
* Because or on account of one's excellence.
** 1584, George Peele, The Araygnement of Paris, ii, i:The name of Venus is in deede but bautye, And men me fayrest call, per excellencye.
* Most excellently, variously intending
** Most especially, in particular, most notably (out of a thing or person's other attributes, roles, etc.).
*** 2009, John Murray, “Introduction”, in John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion:He was par excellence a theologian.
** In a superior way, in the most representative or fully-developed manner.
*** 1877, William Worthington Fowler, Woman on the American Frontier, page 99:She was par excellence the vigilant member of the house-hold.

#### Usage notes

Now frequently italicized as a self-consciously foreign expression. As an adverb, usually placed before the descriptive noun or noun phrase.

#### Synonyms

* (most excellently): pre-eminently, supremely, above all

### Adjective

par excellence (not comparable)
* (postpositive) Most excellent, variously intending
** Being the proper or truest example of a general name.
*** 1695 (published 1845), Earl of Perth, Letters, p. 61:
    The Santo (which is St. Antonio's church, called il Santo par excellence) […]
*** 1883, "Meteora" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. XVI, p. 114:
    At one time they were twenty-four in number; but Holland (1812) and Hughes (1814) found them reduced to ten; at Curzon's visit (1834) there were only seven; and in 1853 not more than four of these were inhabited by more than two or three monks. Meteora par excellence is the largest and perhaps the most ancient.
** Being a quintessential example of a general type.
*** 1839 August, Edgar Allan Poe, Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, page 68:This is the age of invention, most certainly—the age, one may say—the age par excellence.
*** 1845, Edgar Allan Poe, “The Purloined Letter”, in Tales, page 212:The mathematical reason has long been regarded as the reason par excellence.

#### Usage notes

Now frequently italicized as a self-consciously foreign usage. As an adjective, usually used as a post-modifier after the descriptive noun or noun phrase.

#### Synonyms

* (truest example of a general name): See proper

#### Translations
### References

* "par excellence, adv. and adj.", in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

## French
### Etymology

Calque of Latin per excellentiam.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pa.ʁ‿ɛk.sɛ.lɑ̃s/ ~ /pa.ʁ‿ɛk.se.lɑ̃s/

### Adjective

par excellence (invariable)
* par excellence, quintessential, ultimate

#### See also

* dans toute sa splendeur

## Indonesian
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French par excellence, from Latin per excellentiam.

### Adjective

par excellence
* par excellence, quintessential, ultimate
    Synonyms: tidak berbanding, tiada banding

### Further reading

* “par excellence” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Polish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French par excellence.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [par e.kseˈlãs]
* Audio:(file)
* Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually]

### Particle

par excellence
* (idiomatic, literary) par excellence (most excellently)
    Synonyms: ex definitione, siłą rzeczy, z definicji, z natury rzeczy, z założenia

### Further reading

* par excellence in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* par excellence in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Swedish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French par excellence. First attested in 1886.

### Adjective

par excellence (not comparable)
* par excellence; being a quintessential example of a general type.
** 2019 August 3, Per Klingberg, “Medryckande chosefri blick på monumentet Leonardo. [Captivating ingenuous view of the monument Leonardo.]”, in Svenska Dagbladet:Som ingen annan har Leonardo da Vinci kommit att symbolisera renässansmänniskan par excellence.Like no one else, Leonardo da Vinci has come to symbolize the renaissance man par excellence.
** 2021 July 6, “Det är otroligt trist att mat har blivit en statussymbol” (27:08 from the start), in Fråga Agnes Wold‎, spoken by Agnes Wold, Sveriges Radio:Sen så har vi det här med ... alltså vallningar det är ju klimakteriet symtomet par excellence, det liksom är ju det enda som är riktigt fastlagt.Then we have ... I mean, hot flashes, it is the menopause symptom par excellence, it is like the only thing that has been really established.
** 2023 June 2, Thomas Hermansson, “Startsträckan närmar sig slutet [The starting stretch is nearing the end]”, in Barometern:Bland Tidöpartierna är Moderaterna regeringspartiet par excellence.Among the Tidö parties, the Moderates are the government party par excellence.

### References

* ↑ par excellence in Svensk ordbok (SO)