What does exception that proves the rule mean?
Definitions for exception that proves the rule
ex·cep·tion that proves the rule
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word exception that proves the rule.
Wiktionary
exception that proves the rulenoun
A form of argument in which the existence of a counterexample to a rule is used to demonstrate the fact that a rule exists.
exception that proves the rulenoun
The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to underscore that the rule exists
Etymology: It is derived from the medieval legal principle: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis (the exception confirms the rule in the cases not excepted).
Wikipedia
Exception that proves the rule
"The exception that proves the rule" is a saying whose meaning is contested. Henry Watson Fowler's Modern English Usage identifies five ways in which the phrase has been used, and each use makes some sort of reference to the role that a particular case or event takes in relation to a more general rule. Two original meanings of the phrase are usually cited. The first, preferred by Fowler, is that the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes ("proves") that a general rule exists. A more explicit phrasing might be "the exception that proves the existence of the rule". Most contemporary uses of the phrase emerge from this origin, although often in a way which is closer to the idea that all rules have their exceptions. The alternative origin given is that the word "prove" is used in the archaic sense of "test". In this sense, the phrase does not mean that an exception demonstrates a rule to be true or to exist, but that it tests the rule, thereby proving its value. There is little evidence of the phrase being used in this second way.
Wikidata
Exception that proves the rule
"The exception [that] proves the rule" is a frequently misused English phrase. The original meaning of this phrase is that the presence of an exception applying to a specific case establishes that a general rule exists. For example, a sign that says "parking prohibited on Sundays" "proves" that parking is allowed on the other six days of the week. A more explicit phrasing might be "The exception that proves the existence of the rule."
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of exception that proves the rule in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of exception that proves the rule in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
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"exception that proves the rule." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/exception+that+proves+the+rule>.
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