exception meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

exception

noun

/əkˈsɛpʃən/ · /ɪkˈsɛpʃən/

Etymology From Middle English exception, excepcioun, from Anglo-Norman excepcioun, from Old French excepcion, from Latin exceptiō. Equivalent to except + -ion.

The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule.

the exception of a rule

That which is excluded from others; a person, thing, or case, specified as distinct, or not included.

That rule is usually true, but there are a few exceptions.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had abolished slavery but allowed one major exception: slavery remained appropriate as punishment for a crime.2012, Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow, →ISBN, page 31:

Law An objection, on legal grounds; also, as in conveyancing, a clause by which the grantor excepts or reserves something before the right is transferred.

An objection; cavil; dissent; disapprobation; offense; cause of offense.

Usually followed by to or against

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences An interruption in normal processing, typically caused by an error condition, that can be raised ("thrown") by one part of the program and handled ("caught") by another part.

null pointer exception

Derived terms: be no exception, every rule has an exception, exceptionable, exceptioner, exception handler, exceptionless, exception that proves the rule, exceptious, first-chance exception, make an exception, management by exception, personal exception, state of exception, take exception, there is an exception to every rule, without exception, with the exception of
Related terms: except, exceptional, exception handling
Hyponyms: checked exception, unchecked exception

exception

verb

Etymology From Middle English exception, excepcioun, from Anglo-Norman excepcioun, from Old French excepcion, from Latin exceptiō. Equivalent to except + -ion.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences Informal, Rare To throw an exception.