excipere

Excipere is a Latin verb of the third conjugation with the characteristic -io ending, meaning to take out or remove, but also to receive, welcome, or seize. In its broader sense it covers both literal actions (taking something out of a container) and more figurative ones (receiving guests, catching an opportunity, or taking hold of a moment). In some contexts it also means to exclude or to take as an exception, a sense that extends into legal and rhetorical language.

Etymology and forms: The verb is built from ex- ‘out’ plus capere ‘to take.’ Its principal parts are excipio, excipere, excepi, exceptum, marking it as a third-conjugation -io verb. This classification informs its regular present, imperfect, and future forms, as well as its perfect tense using excepi and the supine form exceptum. As with other -io verbs, its inflection follows the standard Latin patterns for this subclass.

Usage and range: In classical Latin excipere appears in a variety of constructions related to taking something out, receiving or hosting, and seizing or adopting a line of action. In legal and formal writing it can mean to exclude or to take something out of consideration, giving rise to the related noun exceptio “an exception.” This noun, in turn, provides the basis for the English word exception and related terms, which trace back to the same Latin root.

See also: Latin verbs of the capere group; Latin legal and rhetorical vocabulary; Latin noun exceptio and its English cognates.