par excellence

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκατ’ ἐξοχήν
2. Latin · derived fromper excellentiam
3. French · borrowed frompar excellence“excellently, in an especially representative way; above all”
4. English todaypar excellence

Unadapted borrowing from French par excellence (“excellently, in an especially representative way; above all”), a calque of Latin per excellentiam, itself a calque of Ancient Greek κατ’ ἐξοχήν (kat’ exokhḗn).