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Where does the word "except" come from? It comes from Latin excipere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
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Where does the word "except" come from? It comes from Latin excipere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).
Except’s story begins in Latin: excipere meant “to take out.” To take out, from ex- (out) and capere (to take). It reached English by 1300s as except. Settled as the English word for excluding something from a general statement. Today, except means not including someone or something, excluding it from a general statement.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient excipere "to take out", to take out, from ex- (out) and capere (to take).
- Stage 2 · English · 1300s except "not including, excluding", settled as the English word for excluding something from a general statement.