exceed
Meaning
To be greater than a number or amount, or to go beyond a permitted limit.
Structure
Usage
The final cost should not exceed one hundred dollars.
His performance exceeded all our expectations.
You must not exceed the speed limit on this road.
Etymology
The word "exceed" originates from the Latin verb "excedere," a compound of "ex-" (out, beyond) and "cedere" (to go). This literal sense of "to go out or beyond" was adopted into Middle English via Anglo-Norman French. Over time, the concrete meaning of physically moving past a boundary evolved into the modern abstract senses of surpassing a quantity or transgressing a prescribed limit, maintaining the core logic of moving beyond a defined point.
Analysis
- ex: A Latin prefix meaning "out, out of, beyond." - ceed: A root from the Latin verb "cedere," meaning "to go, to move, to yield."