exceptus

Exceptus is a Latin term that functions as both an adjective and a past participle. It derives from ex- “out” and capere, via excipere, which carries the sense “to take out, to remove, to exclude.” The masculine nominative singular exceptus agrees with a noun it modifies and can mean “taken out” or “excluded.” The neuter excepto form exceptum can serve as a substantive in some contexts, though the noun for “exception” more commonly appears as exceptio.

In classical and post-classical Latin, exceptus occurs where a statement indicates an exception to a general rule. In legal and ecclesiastical Latin, it is used to designate items, persons, or provisions that lie outside a grant, law, or canon. Because Latin legal style often mirrors English expressions such as “excepted from” or “with the exception of,” exceptus appears in phrases that mark exclusions, often alongside terms like praeter or salvo to clarify the scope of the rule.

In modern scholarly usage, exceptus is chiefly discussed in the context of Latin grammar and historical texts. It is not a term used in living Latin prose, where exceptio remains the more common noun for “exception.” Dictionaries and grammars typically note exceptus as the participial form and describe exceptio as the ordinary noun for the concept of an exception. See also: except, exception, praeter, salvo.