excipio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɛksˈkɪ.pi.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eksˈt͡ʃiː.pi.o]^[1]

Forms

excipiō (present infinitive excipere, perfect active excēpī, supine exceptum); third (-iō variant) conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from ex- and capiō “to take”.^[2][1][3] Inscriptions spell it ⟨esc-⟩ and ⟨exsc-⟩.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of picking up out of the water, of excepting and of taking in.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to take out, as Cicero's drawing someone from the sea, to gather, and to except, exclude, and the ablative absolute exceptō quod meant “except that”.^[2][5][6] In law it meant to stipulate, withhold, of a seller to exclude a defect from warranty, and of a defendant to plead an exceptiō.^[2] It meant to receive, accept, support a weight, absorb, take down from dictation, take under one's care, as in Plautus, and to greet or receive in some manner, even with applause, as in Cicero.^[2] It meant to sustain an attack, undertake a task, catch something falling, capture by ambush, as in Caesar, catch words, succeed to, and follow after.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to take out, accept, make an exception for, exclude.^[7] English except came in the late 14th century through Old French from its participle exceptus, and English exception from its noun exceptiō.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of excepting and of taking in.^[2][4]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar uses it of gathering and of ambush.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of receiving and of sustaining attacks.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English except is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To take out; to pick up; to gather.^[2]
2. To except, exclude, exceptō quod, except that.^[2]
3. (law) To stipulate; to plead an exception.^[2]
4. To receive, accept; to support; to absorb.^[2]
5. To take down from dictation.^[2]
6. To take in, shelter; to welcome, greet; to applaud.^[2]
7. To sustain an attack; to undertake.^[2]
8. To catch; to intercept, ambush.^[2]
9. To succeed to; to follow.^[2]

Word family

• exceptīcius
• exceptiō
• exceptō
• exceptor
• excerptum
• excipulum

Related words

• capiō
• English except
• English exception

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 r s Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com