The word 'notwithstanding' is a conjunction and preposition that means "in spite of" or "regardless of." It indicates that something is true or valid despite the presence of a different or contrary circumstance. For example, if someone says, “Notwithstanding the rain, the picnic will continue,” it means that even though it is raining, the picnic will still happen.
The word 'notwithstanding' comes from the Middle English term ‘notwithstonding,’ which is a combination of 'not' + 'withstand' + the suffix '-ing.' The 'withstand' part comes from Old English and means "to stand against."