outstanding
out-stand-ing / out-stÄn-dÄng, out-stÄn- dÄng
adjective 1. extremely good; excellent; superior If you want to stand out, don't be different, be outstanding. Meredith West, ? - 2. obvious, very noticeable What you see is that the most outstanding feature of life's history is a constant domination by bacteria. Stephen Jay Gould, 1941 â 2002 3. still in existence; not paid, settled, satisfied or resolved Purchases bought by bulk in partnership had to be equitably divided, outstanding debts canceled, accounts compared, and trunks, boxes and packages labeled. From âThe Innocents Abroadâ by Mark Twain, 1835 - 1910 4. issued and sold But why its outstanding stock should be booted around Broad Street was an interestin' question. From âTorchy as a Paâ by Sewell Ford, 1868 - 1946 5. sticking out; protruding His tangled beard, grizzled hair, and outstanding, drooping eyebrows combined to give an air of dignity and power to his appearance, but his face was of an ashen white, while his lips and the corners of his nostrils were tinged with a shade of blue. From âThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmesâ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859 - 1930 etymology Made from combining the English adverb out (from the Anglo-Saxon adverb ut through the Middle English ut, oute, oiut all of the same meaning) with the present active participle of the English verb stand, which comes from the Anglo-Saxon verb standan through the Middle English verb standen, all of which are related to the Latin verb sto, stare, steti, statum (stand). Thank you to Allen Ward for providing this etymology.