Also 4–6 excepte, 6 Sc. excep, 7 eccept, exept. [ad. F. excepte-r, f. L. except- ppl. stem of excipĕre to take out, f. ex- out + capĕre to take. Cf. Pr. exceptar; the formally equivalent L. exceptāre had only the sense ‘to catch, take up.’ AF. had exceper (Britton II. xvi. § 3, IV. iv. § 1) app. ad. L. excipĕre.]
1. trans. To take or leave out (of any aggregate or collective whole); ‘to leave out and specify as left out’ (J.); to exclude (from an enumeration, the scope of a statement or enactment, a privilege, etc.); to leave out of account or consideration. Const. from, out of; also simply.
1530. Palsgr., 541/2. He is the best of al his kynne, I excepte none.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Cor. xv. 27. He is excepted, which put all thinges vnder him.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., II. iii. (1611), 59. All meates indifferent vnto the Iewe, were it not that God by name excepted some, as swines flesh.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., II. i. 281. Within the Bond of Marriage, tell me Brutus, Is it excepted, I should know no Secrets That appertaine to you?
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Via Media, Rem. Wks. (1660), 376. He hath given his law to all, [he] excepts no man … from salvation.
1680. Baxter, Answ. Stillingfl., xii. 20. He that marrieth Persons may not except the Husbands Power of Government.
a. 1714. Burnet, Own Time, II. 302. Another clause in the bill was liable to great objections: all the royal family were excepted out of it.
1776. Adam Smith, W. N., I. xi. I. 227. If you except corn and such other vegetables as are raised by human industry.
1824. Scott, St. Ronan’s, xxx. I hope you do not except yourself?
1882. J. H. Blunt. Ref. Ch. Eng., II. 196. He was excepted from the general pardon.
b. In pa. pple. excepted in the absol. const., and placed after the sb. Cf. EXCEPT pa. pple. 2.
1514. Earl Worcester, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 69, I. 234. He shall have … as many [men] more … to serve his Grace ayenst any Prince leving noon reservid nor exceptid.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 72. His father the king excepted there is none whose honor I more tender and love.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 46. Ormus … procreates nothing note-worthy, Salt excepted.
1769. Robertson, Chas. V., III. VII. 18. The whole kingdom, a small corner excepted, was subjected to the Turkish yoke.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., xi. (ed. 5), 172. The Church excepted, no agent did so much to keep alive the memory of Roman institutions.
2. intr. To make objection; to object or take exception. Const. against (exceedingly common in 17th c.), † at, to. Also in indirect passive.
[From the use of L. excipere (adversus aliquem) in Roman Law; the etymological notion being that of limiting the right alleged in an opponent’s declaration by setting up a countervailing right in the defendant which excepts his case (see EXCEPTION 4).]
1577. Hanmer, Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619), 246. He excepteth against Eusebius and his adherents, as open enemies.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., I. iii. 4. Mar. By my troth sir Toby,… your Cosin, my Lady, takes great exceptions to your ill houres. To. Why let her except, before excepted.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., 5. Sixtus Senensis, and Alphonsus à Castro … men not to be excepted against by them of Rome.
1620. Bacon, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., II. 259, III. 236. I may be allowed to except to the witnesses brought against me.
1647. May, Hist. Parl., II. ii. 33. Parliament consented to all the Propositions; but the King excepted against one of them.
1665. Glanvill, Sceps. Sci., 53. He excepts at Gassendus’s animadverting on Aristotle’s manners.
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 34. One … excepted to the gentility of Sir William Hearty, because he wore a frize coat.
1746. Da Costa, in Phil. Trans., XLIV. 406. As for the regular Figure of the Belemnites being excepted against, I believe few Fossilists will argument that.
1850. Merivale, Rom. Emp. (ed. 2), II. 50. The criminals who excepted against Cato were generally condemned.
1885. Sir E. E. Kay, in Law Times Rep., LII. 84/2. They had got their affidavit, to the sufficiency of which they did not except.
† b. transf. of a document. Obs.
1809. R. Langford, Introd. Trade, 22. If the bill be foreign, a merchant draws two or three of the same … date, each of which excepts against the rest, that no more than one of them should be paid.
† 3. trans. To offer or allege as an objection; to object. Const. with simple obj. or obj. clause, against, to. Obs.
a. 1592. Greene, Jas. IV., V. iv. O lawyer … Why thrive you by contentions? why devise you Clauses and subtle reasons to except?
1625. Bacon, Ess., Marriage (Arb.), 267. They have heard some talke; Such an one is a great rich Man; And another except to it; Yea, but he hath a great charge of Children.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, II. xxxix. (1840), 102. Others excepted, that this exception was nothing worth.
1680. Burnet, Rochester (1692), 96. I desired he would … see what he could except to them.
1753. Stewart’s Trial, in Scots Mag., March, 560/2. The learned gentleman … has been pleased to except against this part of the evidence: That [etc.].
† 4. To object to; to take exception to; to protest against. Obs. rare exc. in Shaks.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., I. i. 72. There I throw my gage … And lay aside my high bloods Royalty, Which feare … makes thee to except. Ibid. (c. 1600), Sonn., cxlvii. I desperate now approoue, Desire is death, which Phisic, did except.
† 5. In lit. sense: To take out, extract, excerpt.
1721. Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. xli. 315. The Judgments of which two last are excepted out of the rest, and printed in the History of the Reformation.
† 6. To receive, accept. Obs. [A frequent sense of L. excipere; but in some at least of the examples the word is a mistake for ACCEPT.]
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 178. To the pouer and to the riche His [the king’s] lawes mighten stonden liche, He shall excepte no persone.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XVI. xxxix. Her [fortune’s] louring chere she may ryght sone chaunge, And you excepte and cal unto her grace.
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 260. Her grace hath excepted my seruice.
1550. J. Coke, Eng. & Fr. Heralds, § 157 (1877), 103. To except them (as they be) very lordes of the narowe sea.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turkes (1638), 149. Which their offer he gladly excepted.
1635. A. Stafford, Fem. Glory (1869), 92. God so willing eccept my ejaculatory Prayrs.
absol. 1597. Montgomerie, Cherrie & Slae, 1002. Quhat wald thou do, I wald we wist: Except, or giue us oure.
