Except \Ex*cept"\, v. i.
   To take exception; to object; -- usually followed by to,
   sometimes by against; as, to except to a witness or his
   testimony.
   
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         Except thou wilt except against my love. --Shak.
   
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Except \Ex*cept"\, prep. [Originally past participle, or verb in
   the imperative mode.]
   With exclusion of; leaving or left out; excepting.
   
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         God and his Son except,
         Created thing naught valued he nor . . . shunned.
                                                  --Milton.

   Syn: {Except}, {Excepting}, {But}, {Save}, {Besides}.

   Usage: Excepting, except, but, and save are exclusive. Except
          marks exclusion more pointedly. "I have finished all
          the letters except one," is more marked than "I have
          finished all the letters but one." Excepting is the
          same as except, but less used. Save is chiefly found
          in poetry. Besides (lit., by the side of) is in the
          nature of addition. "There is no one here except or
          but him," means, take him away and there is nobody
          present. "There is nobody here besides him," means, he
          is present and by the side of, or in addition to, him
          is nobody. "Few ladies, except her Majesty, could have
          made themselves heard." In this example, besides
          should be used, not except.
          
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Except \Ex*cept"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Excepted}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Excepting}.] [L. exceptus, p. p. of excipere to take or
   draw out, to except; ex out + capere to take: cf. F.
   excepter. See {Capable}.]
   1. To take or leave out (anything) from a number or a whole
      as not belonging to it; to exclude; to omit.
      
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            Who never touched
            The excepted tree.                    --Milton.
      
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            Wherein (if we only except the unfitness of the
            judge) all other things concurred.    --Bp.
                                                  Stillingfleet.
      
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   2. To object to; to protest against. [Obs.] --Shak.
      
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Except \Ex*cept"\ ([e^]k*s[e^]pt"), conj.
   Unless; if it be not so that.
   
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         And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless
         me.                                      --Gen. xxxii.
                                                  26.
   
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         But yesterday you never opened lip,
         Except, indeed, to drink.                --Tennyson.
   
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   Note: As a conjunction unless has mostly taken the place of
         except.
         
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