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exemptus

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word exemptus

exemptus1 taken out; exempt

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
Ultimate origin
Latin eximō
Etymology tree of exemptus1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin eximo
Latin exemptus

Forms

exēmptus (feminine exēmpta, neuter exēmptum); first/second-declension participle[1][2]

Etymology

The participle is from Latin eximō (“to take out; to free”), its perfect passive participle;[1][2][3] the verb is from Latin ex- + emō (“to take; to buy”).[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It has the senses of its verb: taken out or removed, and freed from something.[4]

Semantic evolution

As the verb was used of releasing a person from a tax, a duty or an obligation,[4] the participle came to mean “exempt”, the sense of Ecclesiastical Latin.[5] In Medieval Latin a monastery or church that was exemptus stood outside the bishop's jurisdiction.[6]

From it come Italian esente[2] and English exempt, from the late 14th century, through Old French and directly from Latin.[3]

Timeline

  • Medieval Latin – Used of churches and monasteries free of episcopal authority.[6]
  • late 14th century – English borrows it as exempt.[3]

Meanings

Participle

  1. Taken out, removed.[4][1]
  2. Freed, released; exempt (from a tax or duty).[4][5]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Exempt from the bishop's jurisdiction.[6]

exemptus2 removal

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Vitruvius, 1st century BC
Ultimate origin
Latin eximō
Etymology tree of exemptus2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin eximo
Latin exemptus

Forms

exēmptus m (genitive exēmptūs); fourth declension[1][2]

Etymology

The noun is from Latin eximō (“to take out”) + -tus, an action noun in ⟨-tus⟩ of the fourth declension.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found once, in Vitruvius, who writes of a water clock regulated by the adding or taking out of wedges, cuneōrum adiectus aut exēmptus.[4][7][8]

Timeline

  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it in On Architecture (9.8.6).[7][9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of taking out, removal.[4][8][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  2. ^ a b c d e Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  6. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  8. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  9. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
Cite this entry

“Exemptus.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/exemptus. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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