Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A form of
argument in which the existence of acounterexample to arule is used to demonstrate the fact that a rule exists. - noun idiomatic The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a
rule , used to underscore that the rule exists
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
It is derived from the medieval Latin legal principle: exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis (the exception confirms the rule in the cases not excepted).
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Examples
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