But

[A.-S. butan, boton, butun, buta, bute, without, on the outside, except, besides, from prefix be and utan, uton, outward, without, from ut, ute, out, without, abroad, O. Sax., Fries., Icel., Goth., & O. D. at, Sw. ut, Dan. ud, N. D. uit, O. H. Ger. ûz, N. H. Ger. aus. Primarily, butan, as well as ut, is an adverb. Cf. ABOUT.]

1Sense 1. Except; besides; unless; save.

Who can it be but perjured Lycon? Smith.

So insolent that he could not go, but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors. Fuller.

☞ In this sense, but is often used with other particles; as, but for, without; had it not been for;—but if [Obs.], unless, &c.

But this I read, that, but if remedy Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see. Spenser.

2Sense 2. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless;—elliptical, for but that, which is now more usual.

And, but infirmity, Which waits upon worn times, hath something seized His wished ability, he had himself The lands and waters measured. Shak.

And, but my noble Moor is true of mind, it were enough to put him to ill thinking. Shak.

3Sense 3. Otherwise than that; that not;—having, properly, after a negative, that.

It can not be but Nature hath some director, of infinite power, to guide her in all her ways. Hooker.

There is no question but the king of Spain will reform most of the abuses. Addison.

It is not impossible but I may alter the complexion of my play. Dryden.

4Sense 4. Only; solely; merely.

Observe but how their own principles combat one another. Milton.

If they kill us, we shall but die. 2 Kings vii. 4.

A formidable man but to his friends. Dryden.

☞ This use of but is a modern innovation, but perhaps too firmly established to be corrected. In all such phrases, a negative is omitted. He is not a formidable man, but to his enemies; that is, except. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment.” 2 Cor. iv. 17. Our affliction is not, except for a moment.

5Sense 5. On the contrary; on the other hand; only; yet; still; however; nevertheless; more; further;—as connective of sentences or clauses of a sentence, in a sense more or less exceptive or adversative; as, he would have gone with you, but he is sick; the House of Representatives were well agreed in passing the bill, but the Senate dissented; our wants are many and grievous, but quite of another kind.

Now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Cor. xiii. 13.

When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom. Prov. xi. 2.

But and if, but if; an attempt on the part of King James's translators of the Bible to express the conjunctive and adversative force of the Greek δέ.

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming, . . . the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him. Luke xii. 45, 46.

Syn.—BUT, HOWEVER, STILL. These words, as here compared, mark opposition in passing from one thought or topic to another. But marks the opposition with a medium degree of strength; as, this is not winter, but it is almost as cold; he requested my assistance, but I shall not aid him at present. However is weaker, and throws the opposition (as it were) into the background; as, this is not winter; it is, however, almost as cold; he required my assistance; at present, however, I shall not afford him aid. The plan, however, is still under consideration, and may yet be adopted. Still is stronger than but, and marks the opposition more emphatically; as, your arguments are weighty; still they do not convince me. See EXCEPT, HOWEVER.

See Butt.

[Fr. but, butt, aim, butte, knoll, bout, O. Fr. bot, end, extremity. Cf. Gael. buta, butt, mark, bot, mound, W. bot, any round body, pwt, any short thing.] 1. The larger end of a thing, as of a piece of timber, or of a fallen tree; an end; a limit; a bound.

Here is my journey’s end, here is my butt And very sea-mark of my utmost sail. Shak.

As applied to land, the word is nearly synonymous with mete, and signifies properly the end line or boundary, the abuttal.

2Sense 2. A mark to be shot at; an object of aim.

Base Arjives, blush ye not to stand as made for buts to darts? Chapman.

To which is fixed as an aim or butt Obedience. Shak.

3Sense 3. The person at whom ridicule, jests, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company.

I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I thought very smart. Addison.

4Sense 4. A push or thrust given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram.

5Sense 5. A thrust in fencing.

To prove who gave the fairer butt, John shows the chalk on Robert’s coat. Prior.

6Sense 6. [See Boot, n.] A large cask or vessel, also called a pipe.

A wine butt contains 126 wine gallons; a beer butt 108 ale gallons; a butt of sherry 108 imperial gallons.

7Sense 7. (Ship-building.) (a.) The end of a plank or piece of timber that unites with another endwise. (b.) The joining of two such pieces.

8Sense 8. The thickest and stoutest part of tanned ox-hides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks, &c.

9Sense 9. (Mech.) The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the bush-bearing is attached by a strap fastened to the butt by a cutter and gib.

10Sense 10. (Carp.) A kind of hinge made of two plates of metal with edges interlocking for a joint, and fastened together by a pin, on which they turn;—used in hanging doors, &c., and so named because screwed on to the edge of the door, or the part which butts against the casing, and not, like other hinges, on the face of it.

11Sense 11. A short piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field. “The hay was growing upon headlands and butts in cornfields.” Burrill.

12Sense 12. The metal ring at the ends of the hose of a fire-engine.

A butt’s length, the ordinary distance from the place of shooting to the butt, or mark; as, not two pair of butts’ length from the town.—Butts and bounds (Conveyancing), abuttals and boundaries. In lands of the ordinary rectangular shape, butts are the lines at the ends (Fr. bouts), and bounds are those on the sides, or sidings, as they were formerly termed. Burrill.—Butt and butt, joining end to end without overlapping, as planks.

v. i. [Fr. bouter, to push, butt. See Bou-Tade.]

1Sense 1. To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut.

And Barnsdale there doth butt on Don's well-watered ground. Drayton.

2Sense 2. To thrust the head forward; to strike by thrusting the head forward, as an ox or a ram. [See BUTT, n.]

A snow-white steer before thine altar led, Butts with his threatening brows, and bellowing stands. Dryden.