Online Etymology Dictionary

examination (n.): late 14c., "action of testing or judging; judicial inquiry," from Old French examinacion, from Latin examinationem (nominative examinatio), noun of action from past participle stem of examinare (see examine). Sense of "test of knowledge" is attested from 1610s.
examine (v.): c.1300, from Old French examiner "interrogate, question, torture," from Latin examinare "to test or try; weigh, consider, ponder," from examen "a means of weighing or testing," probably ultimately from exigere "weigh accurately" (see exact). Related: Examined; examining.
examiner (n.): early 14c., examinour, agent noun from examine.
example (n.): late 14c., partial re-Latinization of earlier essample, asaumple (mid-13c.), from Old French essemple "sample, model, example, precedent, cautionary tale," from Latin exemplum "a sample," literally "that which is taken out," from eximere "take out, remove" (see exempt (adj.)). Oldest English senses are of "behavior" and "punishment."
exanimate (adj.): 1530s, from Latin exanimatus "lifeless, dead," past participle of exanimare "to deprive of air or breath; tire, fatigue; to deprive of life; to terrify," from ex- (see ex-) + animare (see animate).
exarch (n.): from Late Latin exarchus, from Greek exarkhos, from ex (see ex- (2)) + arkhos "leader, chief, ruler" (see archon).
exasperate (v.): 1530s, from Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare "roughen, irritate, provoke," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + asper "rough" (see asperity). Related: Exasperated; exasperating.
exasperation (n.): 1540s, from Latin exasperationem (nominative exasperatio), noun of action from past participle stem of exasperare (see exasperate).
Excalibur (n.): King Arthur's sword, c.1300, from Old French Escalibor, corruption of Caliburn, in Geoffrey of Monmouth (c.1140) Caliburnus, apparently from Welsh Caledvwlch probably a variant of the legendary Irish sword name Caladbolg which may be literally "hard-belly," i.e. "voracious." For first element, see callus; for second, see belly (n.).
excavate (v.): 1590s, from Latin excavatus, past participle of excavare "to hollow out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + cavare "to hollow, hollow out," from cavus "cave" (see cave (n.)). Related: Excavated; excavating.
excavation (n.): 1610s, "action of excavating," from Latin excavationem (nominative excavatio) "a hollowing out," noun of action from past participle stem of excavare (see excavate).
exceed (v.): late 14c., from Old French exceder (14c.) "exceed, surpass, go too far," from Latin excedere "depart, go beyond, be in excess, surpass," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + cedere "go, yield" (see cede).

Related: Exceeded; exceeding. Exceedingly (late 15c.) means "very greatly or very much;" excessively (mid-15c.) means "too greatly or too much."
excel (v.): c.1400, from Latin excellere "to rise, surpass, be eminent," from ex- "out from" (see ex-) + -cellere "rise high, tower," related to celsus "high, lofty, great," from PIE root *kel- "to rise, be elevated" (see hill). Related: Excelled; excelling.
excellence (n.): mid-14c., from Old French excellence, from Latin excellentia, from excellentem (see excellent).
excellency (n.): "high rank," c.1200, from Latin excellentia (see excellence); as a title of honor it dates from early 14c.
excellent (adj.): mid-14c., from Old French excellent "outstanding, excellent," from Latin excellentem (nominative excellens), present participle of excellere (see excel).
excelsior: Latin excelsior "higher," comp. of excelsus (adj.) "high, elevated, lofty," past participle of excellere (see excel), taken 1778 as motto of New York State, where it apparently was mistaken for an adverb. Popularized 1841 as title of a poem by Longfellow. As a trade name for "thin shavings of soft wood used for stuffing cushions, etc.," first recorded 1868, American English.
except (v.): late 14c., "to receive," from Middle French excepter (12c.), from Latin exceptus, past participle of excipere "take out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + capere "to take" (see capable). Meaning "to leave out" is from 1510s. Related: Excepted; excepting. Adjectival function led to use as a preposition, conjunction (late 14c.).
exception (n.): late 14c., from Anglo-French excepcioun, Old French excepcion, from Latin exceptionem (nominative exceptio), noun of action from past participle stem of excipere (see except).

The exception that proves the rule is from law: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis, "the exception proves the rule in cases not excepted;" exception here being "action of excepting" someone or something from the rule in question, not the person or thing that is excepted. To take exception is from excipere being used in Roman law as a modern attorney would say objection.
exceptionable (adj.): 1660s, from exception + -able. Related: Exceptionably.
exceptional: 1846, from exception + -al (1). Related: exceptionally.
excerpt (v.): early 15c. (implied in excerpte), from Latin excerptus, past participle of excerpere "pluck out, pick out, extract, excerpt," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + carpere "pluck, gather," from PIE *kerp- "to gather, pluck, harvest" (see harvest (n.)).
excerpt (n.): 1630s, from Latin excerptum "an extract, selection," noun use of neuter past participle of excerpere (see excerpt (v.)). Related: excerpts.
excess (n.): late 14c., from Old French exces (14c.) "excess, extravagance, outrage," from Latin excessus "departure, a going beyond the bounds of reason or beyond the subject," from stem of excedere "to depart, go beyond" (see exceed). As an adjective from late 15c.
excessive (adj.): late 14c., from Old French excessif "excessive, oppressive," from Latin excess-, past participle stem of excedere "to depart, go beyond" (see exceed). Related: Excessively; excessiveness.
exchange (n.): late 14c., "act of reciprocal giving and receiving," from Anglo-French eschaunge, Old French eschange (Modern French échange), from Late Latin excambium, from excambiare, from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + cambire "barter" (see change). Practice of merchants or lenders meeting to exchange bills of debt led to meaning "building for mercantile business" (1580s).
exchange (v.): late 15c., from Old French eschangier "exchange, barter," from Vulgar Latin *excambiare (source of Italian scambiare); see exchange (n.). Related: Exchanged; exchanging.
exchequer (n.): c.1300, from Anglo-French escheker "a chessboard," from Old French eschequier, from Medieval Latin scaccarium "chess board" (see check (n.1); also cf. checker (n.2)).

Government financial sense began under the Norman kings of England and refers to a cloth divided in squares that covered a table on which accounts of revenue were reckoned with counters, and which apparently reminded people of a chess board. Respelled with an -x- based on the mistaken belief that it originally was a Latin ex- word.
excise (n.): "tax on goods," late 15c., from Middle Dutch excijs (early 15c.), apparently altered from accijs "tax" (by influence of Latin excisus "cut out or removed," see excise (v.)), traditionally from Old French acceis "tax, assessment" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *accensum, ultimately from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + census "tax, census" (see census). English got the word, and the idea for the tax, from Holland.
excise (v.): "cut out," 1570s, from Middle French exciser, from Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "cut out, cut down, cut off," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + -cidere, comb. form of cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Related: Excised; excising.
excision (n.): late 15c., from Middle French excision (14c.) and directly from Latin excisionem (nominative excisio), noun of action from past participle stem of excidere (see excise (v.)).
excitable (adj.): c.1600, from Late Latin excitabilis "inciting, animating," from excitare (see excite). Related: Excitability.
excitation (n.): late 14c., from Old French excitation, from Latin excitationem (nominative excitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of excitare (see excite).
excite (v.): mid-14c., "to move, stir up, instigate," from Old French esciter (12c.) or directly from Latin excitare "rouse, call out, summon forth, produce," frequentative of exciere "call forth, instigate," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + ciere "set in motion, call" (see cite). Of feelings, from late 14c. Of bodily organs or tissues, from 1831. Main modern sense of "emotionally agitate" is first attested 1821.
excited (adj.): 1650s, "magnetically or electrically stimulated;" modern sense of "agitated" attested 1855; past participle adjective from excite. Related: Excitedly.
excitement (n.): early 15c., "encouragement;" c.1600, "something that tends to excite," from excite + -ment. Meaning "condition of mental and emotional agitation" is from 1846.
exciting: late 14c. (n.), "action of urging, prompting, inciting," noun of action from excite (v.). As a present participle adjective, from 1811 in sense "causing disease." Sense of "causing excitement" is from 1826.
exclaim (v.): 1560s, back-formation from exclamation or else from Middle French exclamer (16c.), from Latin exclamare "cry out loud," from ex- intensive prefix "out" (see ex-) + clamare "cry, shout, call" (see claim (v.)). Spelling influenced by claim. Related: Exclaimed; exclaiming.
exclamation (n.): late 14c., from Middle French exclamation, from Latin exclamationem (nominative exclamatio), noun of action from past participle stem of exclamare "cry out loud" (see exclaim).

The punctuation symbol known as the exclamation point (1824) or exclamation mark (1926) was earliest called an exclamation note or note of exclamation (1650s), earlier note of admiration (1610s).
exclamatory (adj.): 1590s, from Latin exclamat-, past participle stem of exclamare (see exclaim) + -ory.
exclude (v.): mid-14c., from Latin excludere "keep out, shut out, hinder," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + claudere "to close, shut" (see close (v.)). Related: Excluded; excluding.
exclusion (n.): c.1400, from Latin exclusionem (nominative exclusio), noun of action from past participle stem of excludere (see exclude).
exclusionary (adj.): 1817, from exclusion + -ary.
exclusive (adj.): mid-15c., "so as to exclude," from Medieval Latin exclusivus, from exclus-, past participle stem of excludere (see exclude).

Of monopolies, rights, franchises, etc., from 1760s; of social circles, clubs, etc., "unwilling to admit outsiders," from 1822. Related: Exclusively; exclusiveness.
exclusivity (n.): 1926, from exclusive + -ity.
excommunicate (v.): early 15c., from Late Latin excommunicatus, past participle of excommunicare (see excommunication). Related: Excommunicated; excommunicating.
excommunication (n.): mid-15c., from Late Latin excommunicationem (nominative excommunicatio), from past participle stem of excommunicare "put out of the community," in Church Latin "to expel from communion," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + communicare, from communis "common" (see common).
excoriate (v.): early 15c., from Late Latin excoriatus, past participle of excoriare "flay, strip off the hide," from Latin ex- "off" (see ex-) + corium "hide, skin" (see corium). Figurative sense of "denounce, censure" first recorded in English 1708. Related: Excoriated; excoriating.
excoriation (n.): mid-15c., from Medieval Latin excoriationem (nominative excoriatio), from Late Latin excoriare (see excoriate).
excrement (n.): 1530s, "waste discharged from the body," from Latin excrementum, from stem of excretus, past participle of excernere "to sift out, discharge," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + cernere "sift, separate" (see crisis). Originally any bodily secretion, especially from the bowels; exclusive sense of "feces" is since mid-18c.