but

prep., adv. & conj. [ OE. bute, buten, AS. būtan, without, on the outside, except, besides; pref. be- + ūtan outward, without, fr. ūt out. Primarily, būtan, as well as ūt, is an adverb. √198. See By, Out; cf. About. ] 1. Except with; unless with; without. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

Touch not the cat but a glove. Motto of the Mackintoshes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Except; besides; save. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who can it be, ye gods! but perjured Lycon? E. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless; -- elliptical, for but that. [ 1913 Webster ]

And but my noble Moor is true of mind . . . it were enough to put him to ill thinking. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a negative, with that. [ 1913 Webster ]

It cannot be but nature hath some director, of infinite power, to guide her in all her ways. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is no question but the king of Spain will reform most of the abuses. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Only; solely; merely. [ 1913 Webster ]

Observe but how their own principles combat one another. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

If they kill us, we shall but die. 2 Kings vii. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

A formidable man but to his friends. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now abideth faith hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Cor. xiii. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom. Prov. xi. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 &unr_;. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

But if, unless. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ] But this I read, that but if remedy
Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ “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 occasion.” Bain. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 1st But. ] 1. A limit; a boundary. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The end; esp. the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end. Now disused in this sense, being replaced by butt{ 2 }. See 1st Butt. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

But end, the larger or thicker end; as, the but end of a log; the but end of a musket. See Butt, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. But, prep., adv. & conj. ] The outer apartment or kitchen of a two-roomed house; -- opposed to ben, the inner room. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Butted; p. pr. & vb. n. Butting. ] See Butt, v., and Abut, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a white crystalline ester (C18H30N2O2) that is applied to mucous membranes as a topical anesthetic. Chemically it is 3-(di-n-butylamino)-1-propanol 4-aminobenzoate (H2N.C6H4.CO.O.(CH2)3N(C4H9)2). It is usually used as the sulfate salt.
Syn. -- butacaine sulfate. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. a gaseous hydrocarbon C4H6; -- it is used as a monomer unit in making synthetic rubbers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. butyrum butter. See Butter. ] (Chem.) An inflammable gaseous saturated hydrocarbon, C4H10, of the marsh gas, or paraffin, series. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a flammable alcohol (C4H9.OH) derived from butane and used as a solvent.
Syn. -- butyl alcohol. [ WordNet 1.5 ]