3 ms·
The phrase "exception that proves the rule" is from the Latin "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis," or "the exception confirms the rule in cases no
by itp 9y ago
The phrase "exception that proves the rule" is from the Latin "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis," or "the exception confirms the rule in cases not excepted." The Wikipedia article[0] is actually pretty interesting, and among other things suggests that your interpretation of "proves" as "tests" is false.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule
- unFou 9y agoYou shouldn't always accept Wikipedia entries on face value. The word "probat" in the latin phrase has been translated in Wiki to "confirm", but could alternately be interpreted as "test" or "inspect": https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/probo https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/probo