ex·cess / ikˈses; ˈekses/ • n. 1. an amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable: are you suffering from an excess of stress in your life? ∎  the amount by which one quantity or number exceeds another: the excess of imports over exports rose $1.4 billion.2. lack of moderation in an activity, esp. eating or drinking: bouts of alcoholic excess. ∎  (excesses) outrageous or immoderate behavior: the worst excesses of the French Revolution.3. the action of exceeding a permitted limit: there is no issue as to excess of jurisdiction.• adj. exceeding a prescribed or desirable amount: trim any excess fat off the meat.PHRASES: in (or to) excess exceeding the proper amount or degree: she insisted that he did not drink to excess.in excess of more than; exceeding: a top speed in excess of 20 knots.

excess †extravagant feeling or conduct; overstepping limits of moderation XIV; fact of exceeding in amount XVI. — (O)F. excès — L. excessus, f. excess-, pp. stem of excēdere EXCEED.
So excessive XIV.