"exception that proves the rule" meaning in English

See exception that proves the rule in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: en-au-exception that proves the rule.ogg [Australia] Forms: exceptions that prove the rule [plural], exceptions that prove rules [plural]
Etymology: Derived from the medieval Latin legal principle "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis" ("the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted"). Etymology templates: {{uder|en|la|-}} Latin, {{l|la|exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis}} exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis Head templates: {{en-noun|exceptions that prove the rule|exceptions that prove rules}} exception that proves the rule (plural exceptions that prove the rule or exceptions that prove rules)
  1. The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists. Categories (topical): Rhetoric Related terms: exception proves the rule, the exception proves the rule, honor in the breach, the proof of the pudding is in the eating Translations (occurrence of counterexample): uitzondering die de regel bevestigt (Dutch), poikkeus, joka vahvistaa säännön (Finnish), exception qui confirme la règle (French), Ausnahme, die die Regel bestätigt (German), more idiomatically one says Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel (German), eccezione che conferma la regola [feminine] (Italian), unntaket som bekrefter regelen (Norwegian Bokmål), unntaket som bekreftar regelen (Norwegian Nynorsk), but see wyjątek potwierdza regułę (Polish), exceção que prova a regra [feminine] (Portuguese), исключе́ние, подтвержда́ющее пра́вило (isključénije, podtverždájuščeje právilo) [neuter] (Russian), excepción que confirma la regla (Spanish), undantaget som bekräftar regeln (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for exception that proves the rule meaning in English (5.2kB)

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
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      "expansion": "Latin",
      "name": "uder"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis"
      },
      "expansion": "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis",
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  "etymology_text": "Derived from the medieval Latin legal principle \"exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis\" (\"the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted\").",
  "forms": [
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      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Rhetoric",
          "orig": "en:Rhetoric",
          "parents": [
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            "Communication",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1688, [anonymous], An Answer to a Paper Importing a Petition of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Six other Bishops to His Majesty, London: Henry Hills, page 14",
          "text": "A bishop ... is not bound to obey any Mandate but the King's; which Exception proves the Rule, and that he is inexcusably oblig'd to obey the King's",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1775, \"A Gentleman of Lincoln's Inn\", A Digest of Adjudged Cases in the Court of King's Bench, London: G. Kearsly and G. Robinson, page 85",
          "text": "Some statutes give justices of the peace a power of proceeding on default, but the exception proves the rule in the thing not excepted; it seems therefore that the defendant should have been apprehended by a warrant",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists."
      ],
      "id": "en-exception_that_proves_the_rule-en-noun-GuEXreMF",
      "links": [
        [
          "counterexample",
          "counterexample"
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        [
          "rule",
          "rule"
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        [
          "demonstrate",
          "demonstrate"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "exception proves the rule"
        },
        {
          "word": "the exception proves the rule"
        },
        {
          "word": "honor in the breach"
        },
        {
          "word": "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "uitzondering die de regel bevestigt"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "poikkeus, joka vahvistaa säännön"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "exception qui confirme la règle"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "Ausnahme, die die Regel bestätigt"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "more idiomatically one says Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "eccezione che conferma la regola"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "unntaket som bekrefter regelen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "unntaket som bekreftar regelen"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "note": "no equivalent term in Polish",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "but see wyjątek potwierdza regułę"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "exceção que prova a regra"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "isključénije, podtverždájuščeje právilo",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "исключе́ние, подтвержда́ющее пра́вило"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "excepción que confirma la regla"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
          "word": "undantaget som bekräftar regeln"
        }
      ]
    }
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      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
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  "word": "exception that proves the rule"
}
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      },
      "expansion": "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis",
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    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Derived from the medieval Latin legal principle \"exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis\" (\"the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted\").",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "exceptions that prove the rule",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "exceptions that prove rules",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "exception proves the rule"
    },
    {
      "word": "the exception proves the rule"
    },
    {
      "word": "honor in the breach"
    },
    {
      "word": "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"
    }
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        "English entries with incorrect language header",
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        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English undefined derivations",
        "Requests for review of Czech translations",
        "Requests for review of Danish translations",
        "Requests for review of French translations",
        "Requests for review of Hungarian translations",
        "Requests for review of Icelandic translations",
        "Requests for review of Latin translations",
        "en:Rhetoric"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1688, [anonymous], An Answer to a Paper Importing a Petition of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Six other Bishops to His Majesty, London: Henry Hills, page 14",
          "text": "A bishop ... is not bound to obey any Mandate but the King's; which Exception proves the Rule, and that he is inexcusably oblig'd to obey the King's",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1775, \"A Gentleman of Lincoln's Inn\", A Digest of Adjudged Cases in the Court of King's Bench, London: G. Kearsly and G. Robinson, page 85",
          "text": "Some statutes give justices of the peace a power of proceeding on default, but the exception proves the rule in the thing not excepted; it seems therefore that the defendant should have been apprehended by a warrant",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "counterexample",
          "counterexample"
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          "rule",
          "rule"
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          "demonstrate",
          "demonstrate"
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      "tags": [
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    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "uitzondering die de regel bevestigt"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "poikkeus, joka vahvistaa säännön"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "exception qui confirme la règle"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "Ausnahme, die die Regel bestätigt"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "more idiomatically one says Ausnahmen bestätigen die Regel"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "eccezione che conferma la regola"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "unntaket som bekrefter regelen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "unntaket som bekreftar regelen"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "note": "no equivalent term in Polish",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "but see wyjątek potwierdza regułę"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "exceção que prova a regra"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "isključénije, podtverždájuščeje právilo",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "исключе́ние, подтвержда́ющее пра́вило"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "excepción que confirma la regla"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "occurrence of counterexample",
      "word": "undantaget som bekräftar regeln"
    }
  ],
  "word": "exception that proves the rule"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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