Definition of exceed

The word "exceed" originated in Middle English, around 1200 CE. It comes from the Old French word "excèDER," which meant "to go beyond" or "to overstep." The prefix "ex-" in Middle English indicated "out" or "beyond," and the verb "cede" in Old French meant "to go" or "to yield." The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) explains that the word "exceed" initially appeared in the sense of "go beyond" or "surpass" but also carried the meaning of "go out" or "yield" to some extent. Over time, the word's meaning evolved to exclusively signify "go beyond" or "surpass." The earliest recorded usage of "exceed" can be traced back to an Anglo-Saxon glossary, which included a note that the French word "excēder" roughly corresponded to the Old English verb "fremman" (meaning "to go further," or "to make more"). Today, "exceed" is used in many different contexts, from academic grading systems to business performance metrics, to indicate that a result, measurement, or outcome has surpassed a particular threshold or benchmark.