exception that proves the rule
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
It is derived from the medieval Latin legal principle: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis (the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted).
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Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun[edit]
exception that proves the rule
- A form of argument in which the existence of a counterexample to a rule is used to demonstrate the fact that a rule exists.
- (idiomatic) The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to underscore that the rule exists.
Alternative forms[edit]
Translations[edit]
a form of argument
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- “The exception that proves the rule” in Gary Martin, The Phrase Finder, 1997–, retrieved 26 February 2017.
- “Exception that proves the rule” in Michael Quinion, World Wide Words[1], 14 September 2002.
- The Straight Dope