outwith

English

Etymology

From Middle English outwith, outewith, a transposed variant of Middle English withoute (“without”). Cognate to Scots ootwi. By surface analysis, out +‎ with.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /aʊtˈwɪð/, /aʊtˈwɪθ/
• Rhymes: -ɪð, -ɪθ

Preposition

outwith

1. (now chiefly Scotland) Outside; beyond; outside of. [from 12th c.]
   • 1990, Ian Rankin, Dead Souls: An Inspector Rebus Novel, page 159:

     All at once he’d wanted to buy a place there, but it had been too isolated for his wife – and outwith their means anyway.

   • 2004, Official Journal of the European Union, 24.7.2004, C190/10, reporting on a judgment of the European Court of Justice.

     Finally, the Court failed to examine, and thus to show, in what way such differentiated treatment is objectively justified. The fact that it is the result of circumstances outwith the control of the Communities does not constitute such justification […] .

   • 2009, Sarah Ludford MEP, Letters, The Guardian, 17 Jun 09:

     It is not acceptable to have EU-US deals on extradition, information collection and exchange, and border controls which are cooked up in secret and outwith the democratic control of the European and national parliaments.

   • 2010, Mark Towsey, Reading the Scottish Enlightenment, Leiden: Brill, page 263:

     Although Burton’s work lies outwith the scope of the current book, Cockburn’s response reveals a great deal about how Hume and his works were received in Scotland in the half century after his death […] .

   • 2018, The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2018

     These spent convictions for most purposes only fall outwith the scope of the exception of section 4(3)(b) if they are not included in a higher level disclosure sent in connection with the profession, office, type of employment, occupation, decision or proposed decision to which the exception would otherwise apply.

   • 2022, Thomas Halliday, Otherworlds, Penguin, published 2023, page xix:

     To others, it is an escape, a chance to think of ways of life outwith those we experience now […] .

   • 2023, Website of Edinburgh Airport, version dated 2023, accessed 12.04.2023

     Trams are one of the easiest ways to get to and from the airport with fast and frequent services to Edinburgh city centre. Trams depart every 7 minutes, between 7am and 7pm, and every 15 minutes outwith these hours, with an end-to-end journey of just 30 minutes.

Usage notes

For those speakers who use the word, the distinction between outside and outwith is parallel to that between inside and within: the former is more physical, the latter more abstract and conceptual. Contrast outside the house - outwith the home.

Antonyms

• within

Translations

outside; beyond; outside of

• Arabic: خَارِج (ḵārij)

  Egyptian Arabic: برا (baraa)

• Dutch: buiten (nl)
• French: hors (fr)
• German: außerhalb (de)
• Scots: ootwi, ootwith

Adverb

outwith (not comparable)

1. Outside, outwardly; outwards. [from 13th c.]

Anagrams

• without