Re: OT: Proving the rule (was Re: OT: Russian in ASCII?)

Quoting Morgan Palaeo Associates <morganpalaeo@...>:

> Tristan McLeay wrote:
>
> > The expression is 'the exception that proves the rule', and harkens back
> > to an older meaning of 'prove' and 'proof' of 'test'. Though along with
> > the changed definition of 'prove', the saying's been misanalysed as
> > meaning what you said.
>
> As others have pointed out, this is wrong, although it's a common
> myth.
Am I right to assume that the myth is only the origin of the proverb, not the
earlier meaning of "prove", "proof"? Swedish _prova_, German _prüfen_ do
mean "test".

                                                           Andreas