Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Excelsior \Ex*cel"si*or\, a. [L., compar. of excelsus elevated,
   lofty, p. p. of excellere. See {Excel}, v. t.]
   More lofty; still higher; ever upward.

Excelsior \Ex*cel"si*or\, n.
   A kind of stuffing for upholstered furniture, mattresses,
   etc., in which curled shreds of wood are substituted for
   curled hair.

Source : WordNet®

excelsior
     n : thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing [syn:
         {wood shavings}]