Etymologically
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exempt

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Pronunciation

  • /ɪɡˈzɛm(p)t/, /ɛɡˈzɛm(p)t/[1]

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Old French exempt, recorded in Anglo-Norman from 1292,[2][3][4] and also comes directly from Latin exemptus (“taken out, freed”),[3][5][6] the past participle of eximō (“to take out, remove, free”),[7][5][8] made of ex- (“out”) and emō (“to take; to buy”).[5][9][10] Etymonline and Klein trace that verb to Proto-Indo-European *em- (“to take”).[5][9] Klein compares Lithuanian imù (“I take”).[9] The verb is exempter, formed in French on the adjective.[2][3][5] The noun follows exempt in its military sense, a junior cavalry officer excused from ordinary duties.[7][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Taken away, removed, now only archaic: c. 1374, in Chaucer's translation of Boethius.[2][3] Barnhart and Etymonline give about 1380 and the late 14th century for the sense "not subject to a rule or authority".[3][5]

Semantic evolution

The adjective at first had the literal sense of its Latin source, removed or cut off,[2][5] and also meant freed from allegiance or obligation (c. 1380).[2] In church law it described a monastery or other foundation not subject to the bishop's authority (a1464).[2][7] The main modern sense, not liable to a duty, charge or tax, is recorded from 1471,[2] and freedom from danger or disease from a1420.[2] The verb is found from 1401 in the sense of freeing someone from a law or authority,[2] or about 1443 according to Barnhart;[3] in the 16th and 17th centuries it could also mean to remove, to single out or to exclude, all now obsolete.[2] Johnson (1755) defined the adjective as free by privilege, or not subject or liable to.[12] The noun, a person exempt from a duty, dates from 1670;[7] in English it also named an officer of the Yeomen of the Guard, called exon in an attempt at the French pronunciation.[11][7] In Herefordshire dialect exempt of meant "without, short of".[13]

Timeline

  • c. 1374 – taken away, removed (now archaic).[2]
  • c. 1380 – freed from allegiance or obligation.[2][3]
  • 1401 – verb, to free from a law or authority.[2]
  • a1420 – not exposed to danger or disease.[2]
  • about 1443 – verb, to grant freedom from a law or rule, in Barnhart's dating.[3]
  • a1464 – of a monastery, not subject to the bishop.[2]
  • 1467 – verb, to free from a fine or tax.[2]
  • 1471 – not liable to a charge or tax.[2]
  • 1670 – noun, a person freed from a duty; a French junior officer.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Free from an obligation, liability or rule that applies to others: Charities are exempt from this tax.
  2. (ecclesiastical) Not under the jurisdiction of the local bishop.
  3. (obsolete) Set apart, removed.

Verb

  1. To free a person or thing from an obligation, liability or rule to which others are subject; to excuse: The school exempted him from games because of his injury.

Noun

  1. A person who is exempt from a duty, tax or other obligation.
  2. (historical) A junior officer of the Yeomen of the Guard; an exon.

Word family

  • exemptible
  • unexempt
  • tax-exempt
  • nonexempt
  • unexempted

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  10. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  11. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  12. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  13. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)