Where does “except” come from?
Except comes from Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptus (past participle of excipio, meaning to take out), derived from the prefix ex- combined with a root from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- meaning to seize or take.
except (English): To exclude; to specify as being an exception; To...
Definitions
- To exclude; to specify as being an exception; To...
Ancestry of “except”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | excepter | — |
| 2 | Latin | exceptus | taken out, having been taken out; excepted,... |
| 3 | Latin | excipiō | to take out, extract, pull out |
| 4 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |