Be that as it may
Example: Be that as it may, we still need to finish the project.
Definition
"Be that as it may" is an expression used to acknowledge a point or fact while indicating that it does not change the speaker's main argument or conclusion. It often precedes a contrasting statement, as in: 'Be that as it may, we still need to finish the project.'
Etymology
The phrase "be that as it may" originates from older English usage where 'be' serves as a subjunctive verb form, and 'that' refers to a specific fact or situation. It essentially means 'although that may be true.' This phrase has been used in English since at least the 16th century to gracefully concede a point while moving on to a different argument.
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"Be that as it may" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C1) - set 1", containing 130 commonly used expressions.
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