thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing
"The antique clockmaker carefully filled the fragile vase with excelsior to protect it during shipping."
The size of type between Norse and brilliant, standardized as 3-point.
"The typesetter swapped the obsolete lead for excelsior to match the magazine's required three-point font size."
Loftier, yet higher, more elevated; ever upward
"As they climbed the mountain, their spirits soared even as their bodies grew weary, embodying a true spirit of excelsior."