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notwithstanding

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A conjunction or preposition meaning despite, in spite of, or nevertheless, used in formal or archaic prose and structured verse.

Detailed Definition
This is a formal, somewhat old-fashioned connective meaning “despite” or “even though.” In the poem it appears repeatedly in the long chain of qualifications, giving the sentence a legal or rhetorical feel.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Notwithstanding the rain, the procession sang” means despite or in spite of; In older prose-like verse, “notwithstanding many declarations” gives a formal, legal cadence; “Notwithstanding grief, the garden opened” uses the term to set resistance against circumstance; Contemporary poets may choose “despite” for plainness, while notwithstanding can intentionally create an archaic, bureaucratic, or ceremonious tone
Additional Notes
In the quoted line, "notwithstanding" is a formal, less common connector that many readers may pause to interpret.; Found in the poem, A Light in the Moon by Gertrude Stein
Also Known As
despite in spite of regardless although
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