Word of the Day

: February 22, 2009

exorbitant

adjective ig-ZOR-buh-tunt

What It Means

1 : not coming within the scope of the law

2 : exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size

exorbitant in Context

I asked what the rent was for the apartment, and my jaw dropped open when they quoted me an exorbitant sum.

Did You Know?

The first use of "exorbitant" in English was "wandering or deviating from the normal or ordinary course." That sense is now archaic, but it provides a hint as to the origins of "exorbitant": the word derives from Late Latin "exorbitans," the present participle of the verb "exorbitare," meaning "to deviate." "Exorbitare" in turn was formed by combining the prefix "ex-," meaning "out of," with the noun "orbita," meaning "track of a wheel" or "rut." ("Orbita" itself traces back to "orbis," the Latin word for "disk" or "hoop.") In the 15th century "exorbitant" came to refer to something which fell outside of the normal or intended scope of the law. Eventually, it developed an extended sense as a synonym of "excessive."