except
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Alternative forms
- excepte (rare or archaic)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptus.
Pronunciation
Verb
except (third-person singular simple present excepts, present participle excepting, simple past and past participle excepted)
- (transitive) To exclude; to specify as being an exception.
- I find most people annoying — present company excepted, of course!
- 2007, Glen Bowersock, “Provocateur”, in London Review of Books, 29:4, page 17:
- But this [ban on circumcision] must have been a provocation, as the emperor Antoninus Pius later acknowledged by excepting the Jews.
- (intransitive) To take exception, to object (to or against).
- to except to a witness or his testimony
- c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:
- Except thou wilt except against my love.
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:, vol.1, New York Review Books 2001, p.312:
- Yea, but methinks I hear some man except at these words […].
- 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Urne-Burial, Penguin, published 2005, page 23:
- The Athenians might fairly except against the practise of Democritus to be buried up in honey; as fearing to embezzle a great commodity of their Countrey
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
- he was a great lover of music, and perhaps, had he lived in town, might have passed for a connoisseur; for he always excepted against the finest compositions of Mr Handel.
Related terms
Translations
to exclude
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to take exception, to object to
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Preposition
except
- Used to introduce a noun or noun phrase forming an exception or qualification to something previously stated.
- Synonyms: apart from, except for, outtake, with the exception of
- There was nothing in the cupboard except a tin of beans.
- 1983, Paul T. Rogers, Saul's Book:
- Except that he is wearing polka-dot drawers, he is buck naked.
- 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
- One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination.
Synonyms
- see also Thesaurus:except
Derived terms
- except for
- except for opinion
Translations
introducing a noun or noun phrase forming an exception or qualification
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Conjunction
except
- Used to introduce a clause, phrase, verb infinitive, adverb or other non-noun complement forming an exception or qualification to something previously stated.
- You look a bit like my sister, except (that) she has longer hair.
- I never made fun of her except teasingly.
- To survive, I did everything except steal.
- Come any time except between ten and twelve.
- 1909, Archibald Marshall [pseudonym; Arthur Hammond Marshall], chapter II, in The Squire’s Daughter, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead and Company, published 1919, →OCLC:
- "I don't want to spoil any comparison you are going to make," said Jim, "but I was at Winchester and New College." ¶ "That will do," said Mackenzie. "I was dragged up at the workhouse school till I was twelve. Then I ran away and sold papers in the streets, and anything else that I could pick up a few coppers by—except steal. […]."
- 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 2, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
- Mother […] considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.
- (informal) Loosely, used to introduce a contrastive statement explaining why something wasn't successful, didn't happen, etc.
- They fired tear gas at us, except the wind was blowing the wrong way.
- I almost walked out, except I remembered the promise I had made.
- (archaic) Unless; used to introduce a hypothetical case in which an exception may exist.
- 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Luke:
- And they sayde: We have no moo but five loves and two fisshes, except we shulde goo and bye meate for all this people.
- c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 131, column 2:
- If I ſay ſooth, I muſt report they were / As Cannons ouer-charg'd with double Cracks, / So they doubly redoubled ſtroakes vpon the Foe: / Except they meant to bathe in reeking Wounds, / Or memorize another Golgotha, / I cannot tell: but I am faint, / My Gaſhes cry for helpe.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York, published 2001, page 106:
- Offensive wars, except the cause be very just, I will not allow of.
- 1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXVII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; […], →OCLC:
- I am […] not so clear how you will be able to avoid it, except you assert the independence to which your estate gives you a title.
Usage notes
The part-of-speech designation of "except" may be debatable for certain complement types.
Translations
Introducing a non-noun complement forming an exception or qualification
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Anagrams
Etymology
Adjective
except m or n (feminine singular exceptă, masculine plural excepți, feminine and neuter plural excepte)
Declension
Declension of except
References
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