Word Meanings - BUT - Book Publishers vocabulary database

the outside, except, besides; pref. be- + outward, without, fr. out. Primarily, b, as well as , is an adverb. sq. root198. See By, Out; 1. Except with; unless with; without. So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling

Additional info about word: BUT

the outside, except, besides; pref. be- + outward, without, fr. out. Primarily, b, as well as , is an adverb. sq. root198. See By, Out; 1. Except with; unless with; without. So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors. Fuller. Touch not the cat but a glove. Motto of the Mackintoshes. 2. Except; besides; save. Who can it be, ye gods! but perjured Lycon E. Smith. Note: In this sense, but is often used with other particles; as, but for, without, had it not been for. "Uncreated but for love divine." Young. 3. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless; -- elliptical, for but that. And but my noble Moor is true of mind . . . it were enough to put him to ill thinking. Shak. 4. Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a negative, with that. It cannot 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. 5. 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. 6. 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, the House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate dissented; our wants are many, 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. All but. See under All. -- 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 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. But if, unless. Chaucer. But this I read, that but if remedy Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see. Spenser. Syn. -- But, However, Still. These conjunctions 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. Note: "The chief error with but is to use it where and is enough; an error springing from the tendency to use strong words without sufficient occasio,." Bain.

Related words: (words related to BUT)

• EXCEPT
  1. To take or leave out from a number or a whole as not belonging to it; to exclude; to omit. Who never touched The excepted tree. Milton. Wherein all other things concurred. Bp. Stillingfleet. 2. To object to; to protest against. Shak.
• INSOLENTLY
  In an insolent manner.
• EXCEPTIONER
  One who takes exceptions or makes objections. Milton.
• SPURN-WATER
  A channel at the end of a deck to restrain the water.
• COULD
  Was, should be, or would be, able, capable, or susceptible. Used as an auxiliary, in the past tense or in the conditional present.
• OUTSIDER
  1. One not belonging to the concern, institution, party, etc., spoken of; one disconnected in interest or feeling. A. Trollope. 2. A locksmith's pinchers for grasping the point of a key in the keyhole, to open a door from the outside when the
• WITHOUT-DOOR
  Outdoor; exterior. "Her without-door form." Shak.
• WITHOUTFORTH
  Without; outside' outwardly. Cf. Withinforth. Chaucer.
• EXCEPTIONAL
  Forming an exception; not ordinary; uncommon; rare; hence, better than the average; superior. Lyell. This particular spot had exceptional advantages. Jowett -- Ex*cep"tion*al*ly , adv.
• ADVERBIALITY
  The quality of being adverbial. Earle.
• TRAMPLE
  1. To tread with force and rapidity; to stamp. 2. To tread in contempt; -- with on or upon. Diogenes trampled on Plato's pride with greater of his own. Gov. of Tongue.
• EXCEPTANT
  Making exception.
• ADVERBIALIZE
  To give the force or form of an adverb to.
• ADVERB
  A word used to modify the sense of a verb, participle, adjective, or other adverb, and usually placed near it; as, he writes well; paper extremely white.
• EXCEPTLESS
  Not exceptional; usual. My general and exceptless rashness. Shak.
• OUTWARD; OUTWARDS
  From the interior part; in a direction from the interior toward the exterior; out; to the outside; beyond; off; away; as, a ship bound outward. The wrong side may be turned outward. Shak. Light falling on them is not reflected outwards.
• EXCEPTIONABLE
  Liable to exception or objection; objectionable. -- Ex*cep"tion*a*ble*ness, n. This passage I look upon to be the most exceptionable in the whole poem. Addison.
• BESIDES
  Over and above; separate or distinct from; in addition to; other than; else than. See Beside, prep., 3, and Syn. under Beside. Besides your cheer, you shall have sport. Shak.
• OUTWARDS
  See ADV
• WITHOUTEN
  Without. Chaucer.
• SUNLESS
  Destitute or deprived of the sun or its rays; shaded; shadowed. The sunken glen whose sunless shrubs must weep. Byron.