. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English but , buten , boute , bouten , from Old English būtan ( “ without, outside of, except, only ” ) , from Proto-West Germanic *biūtan , *biūtini , equivalent to be- + out . Cognate with Scots but , bot ( “ outside, without, but ” ) , Saterland Frisian buute ( “ without ” ) , West Frisian bûten ( “ outside of, apart from, other than, except, but ” ) , Dutch buiten ( “ outside ” ) , Dutch Low Saxon buten ( “ outside ” ) , German Low German buuten , buute ( “ outside ” ) , obsolete German baußen ( “ outside ” ) , Luxembourgish baussen . Compare bin , about .
Eclipsed non-native Middle English mes ( “ but ” ) borrowed from Old French mes , mais (> French mais ( “ but ” ) ).
Pronunciation
Preposition
but
Apart from , except (for), excluding .
Synonyms: barring , except for , save for ; see also Thesaurus:except
Everyone but Father left early.
I like everything but that.
Nobody answered the door when I knocked, so I had no choice but to leave.
2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1-0 Chelsea ”, in BBC Sport :Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot.
( obsolete outside Scotland ) Outside of.
Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there.
Adverb
but (not comparable )
( chiefly literary or poetic ) Merely , only , just , no more than
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:merely
Christmas comes but once a year.
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau , “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods , Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields , →OCLC :In those days, when my hands were much employed, I read but little, but the least scraps of paper which lay on the ground, my holder, or tablecloth, afforded me as much entertainment, in fact answered the same purpose as the Iliad.
1977 , Alistair Horne , A Savage War of Peace , New York: Review Books, published 2006 , page 49 :The stony outcrops are often covered but thinly with arable soil; winters are bitingly cold, and rainfall scanty and unpredictable.
( Australia , Geordie , conjunctive) Though , however .
Synonyms: even so , nevertheless , notwithstanding , yet ; see also Thesaurus:nevertheless
I'll have to go home early but .
1906 , "Steele Rudd", Back At Our Selection , page 161 :"Supposin' the chap ain't dead, but ?" Regan persisted.
Conjunction
but
However , although , nevertheless , on the other hand ( introducing a clause contrary to prior belief or in contrast with the preceding clause or sentence ) .
She is very old but still attractive.
You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not.
On the contrary , rather ( as a regular adversative conjunction, introducing a word or clause in contrast or contradiction with the preceding negative clause or sentence ) .
I am not rich but [I am] poor. Not John but Peter went there.
( colloquial ) Used at the beginning of a sentence to express opposition to a remark .
But I never said you could do that!
1749 , Henry Fielding , The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling , volume IV, London: A Millar , , →OCLC , book X:In reality, I apprehend every amorous widow on the stage would run the hazard of being condemned as a servile imitation of Dido, but that happily very few of our play-house critics understand enough of Latin to read Virgil.
2013 July 19, Ian Sample , “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains ”, in The Guardian Weekly , volume 189 , number 6, page 34 :Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found.
2013 June 29, “Travels and travails ”, in The Economist , volume 407 , number 8842 , page 55 :Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But , as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "except such that".
I cannot but feel offended.
1599 , William Shakespeare , “The Life of Henry the Fift ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world,But we in it shall be rememberèd—
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :And but my noble Moor is true of mind [ …] it were enough to put him to ill thinking.
1819 , John Keats , “Lamia ”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems , London: [Thomas Davison ] for Taylor and Hessey , , published 1820 , →OCLC , part II, page 43 :A deadly silence step by step increased, Until it seem'd a horrid presence there, And not a man but felt the terror in his hair.
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau , “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods , Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields , →OCLC :In those days, when my hands were much employed, I read but little, but the least scraps of paper which lay on the ground, my holder, or tablecloth, afforded me as much entertainment, in fact answered the same purpose as the Iliad.
( colloquial ) Used to link an interjection to the following remark as an intensifier.
Wow! But that's amazing!
2013 , Nora Roberts, Irish Thoroughbred , Little, Brown, →ISBN , page 25 :"Jakers, but we worked." With a long breath she shut her eyes. "But it was too much for one woman and a half-grown girl [ …] "
( archaic ) Without it also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant).
It never rains but it pours.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so
( obsolete ) Except with; unless with; without.
1639 , Thomas Fuller , “Unseasonable Discords betwixt King Baldwine and His Mother; Her Strength in Yeelding to Her Sonne”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre , Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge , →OCLC , book II, page 84 :This man unable to manage his own happineſſe, grew ſo inſolent that he could not go, but either ſpurning his equals, or trampling on his inferiours.
( obsolete ) Only; solely; merely.
( obsolete ) Until .
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare , “The Tragedie of Macbeth ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals) :'Tshall not be long but I'll be here again.
( obsolete , following a negated expression of improbability) That .
1784 , Joshua Reynolds , edited by John Ingamells and John Edgcumbe , The Letters of Sir Joshua Reynolds , Yale, published 2000 , page 131 :It is not impossible but next year I may have the honour of waiting on your Lordship at St. Asaph, If I go to Ireland I certainly will go that way.
1789 , John Moore , Zeluco , Valancourt, published 2008 , page 132 :“I am convinced, if you were to press this matter earnestly upon her, she would consent.” “It is not impossible but she might,” said Madame de Seidlits [ …] .
1813 July, Journal of Natural Philosophy :It is not improbable but future observations will add Pliny's Well to the class of irregular reciprocators.
Usage notes
It is generally considered colloquial to use but at the beginning of a sentence, with other conjunctions such as however or nevertheless being preferred in formal writing.
But the tool has its uses.
However the tool has its uses.
Nevertheless the tool has its uses.
Synonyms
Translations
although
Adyghe: ау ( awu )
Afrikaans: maar (af)
Aleut: -iiĝali- , -ĝdagali- , -tagali-
Arabic: لٰكِن (ar) ( lākin ) , لٰكِنَّ (ar) ( lākinna ) , وَلٰكِن ( wa-lākin ) , وَلٰكِنَّ ( wa-lākinna ) , بَلْ (ar) ( bal )
Egyptian Arabic: لكن ( laken )
Hijazi Arabic: بس ( bass ) , لكن ( lākin )
South Levantine Arabic: لكن ( lāken ) , بسّ ( bass )
Armenian: թեեւ (hy) ( tʻeew ) , բայց (hy) ( baycʻ ) , սակայն (hy) ( sakayn )
Assamese: পিচে ( pise ) , পাচে ( pase ) , কিন্তু ( kintu )
Asturian: pero (ast)
Azerbaijani: amma (az) , lakin (az) , ancaq (az) , fəqət (az)
Basque: baina (eu) , nahiz eta
Belarusian: але́ (be) ( aljé )
Bengali: কিন্তু (bn) ( kintu )
Breton: met (br)
Bulgarian: но (bg) ( no ) , оба́че (bg) ( obáče ) , а́ма (bg) ( áma )
Burmese: ဒါပေမဲ့ (my) ( dapemai. )
Car Nicobarese: höng , lā , vaich-tö
Catalan: mes (ca) , però (ca) , mas (ca) ( old ) , emperò
Central Mnong: តីស ( tĭh ) , តីសមា ( tĭh ma ) , ប្យាៈលាស ( ɓjăʔ lăh ) , មពោៈ ( mpŏʔ )
Chinese:
Cantonese: 但係 / 但系 ( daan6 hai6 ) , 不過 / 不过 ( bat1 gwo3 )
Hakka: 但係 / 但系 ( than-he ) , 毋過 / 毋过 ( m̀-ko )
Hokkien: 但是 (zh-min-nan) ( tān-sī ) , 不而過 / 不而过 (zh-min-nan) ( put-jî-kò, put-lî-kò ) , 毋過 / 毋过 (zh-min-nan) ( m̄-koh, m̄-kò, m̄-kù ) , 無過 / 无过 ( bû-kò ) , 不過 / 不过 (zh-min-nan) ( put-kò ) , 總是 / 总是 (zh-min-nan) ( chóng-sī )
Mandarin: 可是 (zh) ( kěshì ) , 但是 (zh) ( dànshì ) , 不過 / 不过 (zh) ( bùguò )
Chong: pəntɛː
Czech: ale (cs)
Dalmatian: mui
Danish: men (da)
Dutch: maar (nl)
East Central German: abr
Estonian: kuid (et) , aga (et) , a (et) ( colloquial )
Faroese: men (fo)
Finnish: mutta (fi)
French: mais (fr) , cependant (fr)
Galician: porén (gl) , macar (gl) , maxer , magar , inanque , inda que , malia que
Georgian: მაგრამ ( magram ) , თუმცა ( tumca )
German: aber (de) , aber trotzdem (de)
Greek: μολονότι (el) ( molonóti ) , παρόλο (el) ( parólo ) , καίτοι (el) ( kaítoi ) , αν και (el) ( an kai )
Greenlandic: -galuar , -kaluar , -raluar
Gujarati: પણ ( paṇ )
Hawaiian: akā
Hebrew: אֲבָל (he) ( avál )
Hindi: लेकिन ( lekin ) , पर (hi) ( par )
Hungarian: de (hu) , viszont (hu)
Icelandic: en (is)
Ido: ma (io)
Indonesian: kecuali (id) , tetapi (id) , tapi (id)
Inuktitut: -galuaq- , -kaluaq- , -raluaq-
Irish: ach
Italian: ma (it) , però (it) , tuttavia (it)
Japanese: が (ja) ( ga ) , けれど ( keredo ) , けれども (ja) ( keredomo ) , けど (ja) ( kedo ) , しかし (ja) ( shikashi ) , でも (ja) ( demo )
Kabardian: ауэ (kbd) ( awɛ )
Kannada: ಆದರೆ (kn) ( ādare )
Khasi: hynrei
Khmer: តែ (km) ( tae ) , ប៉ុន្តែ (km) ( pontae ) , ក៏ប៉ុន្តែ (km) ( kɑɑ pontae )
Korean: 그러나 (ko) ( geureona ) , 하지만 (ko) ( hajiman ) , 지만 (ko) ( -jiman )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: lê (ku) , feqet (ku) , bes (ku) , lêbelê (ku) , ema (ku)
Kuy: paj
Lao: ແຕ່ ( tǣ )
Latin: quamvis (la) , licet , ut (la) , sed (la)
Latvian: bet (lv) , taču
Ligurian: ma
Lithuanian: bet (lt) , tačiau (lt) , nors (lt)
Louisiana Creole: mé
Lü: please add this translation if you can
Macedonian: но ( no ) , а́ма ( áma )
Malay: tetapi
Malayalam: പക്ഷേ (ml) ( pakṣē )
Maltese: iżda
Maore Comorian: ɓadi
Marshallese: ma
Mbyá Guaraní: ha'e rã
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: гэхдээ ( gexdee )
Mwali Comorian: walakini
Navajo: ndi
Ngazidja Comorian: sha , lakini , amma
Norwegian:
Bokmål: men (no)
Occitan: mas (oc)
Old English: ac , ah ( Anglian )
Pacoh: kếh ma , ma , icốh ma , ncốh ma , nki ma
Pashto: لېکن ( léken ) , اما (ps) ( amã ) , مګر ( magár ) , منګر ( mangár ) , وليکن ( walikén ) , ولې ( wále )
Persian: گرچه (fa) ( garče ) , ولی (fa) ( vali ) , اگرچه (fa) ( agarče ) , لیکن (fa) ( liken )
Polish: ale (pl) , chociaż (pl)
Portuguese: embora (pt) , mas (pt)
Rapa Nui: pero
Romani: tha'
Romanian: dar (ro)
Romansch: cumbain che
Russian: но (ru) ( no ) , то́лько (ru) ( tólʹko ) , хотя́ (ru) ( xotjá ) , хоть (ru) ( xotʹ )
Scottish Gaelic: ach
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: а̏ли , а̏ма
Roman: ȁli (sh) , ȁma (sh)
Shan: သီႈတႄႉ (shn) ( sīi tâ̰ae ) , သီႈလၵ်း (shn) ( sīi lák ) , သေတႄႉ ( sěe tâ̰ae ) , သေလၵ်း ( sěe lák ) , ၵူၺ်းၵႃႈ (shn) ( kói kāa ) , ၵွႆးၵႃႈ ( káui kāa ) , ပွႆးၸိုင် (shn) ( páui tsǔeng ) , ပွႆးလၵ်း ( páui lák )
Slovak: ale
Slovene: čepràv (sl) , tóda (sl)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: ale
Upper Sorbian: ale (hsb)
Sotho: empa
Spanish: aunque (es) , pero (es) , mas (es)
Swahili: lakini
Swedish: men (sv) , fast (sv)
Tagalog: baga ma't ( formally ) , bagamat ( colloquial )
Tajik: лекин ( lekin ) , аммо (tg) ( ammo ) , вале ( vale ) , агарчи ( agarči ) , гарчи ( garči )
Tamil: ஆனால் (ta) ( āṉāl )
Tashelhit: macc ( mish )
Thai: แต่ (th) ( dtɛ̀ɛ ) , แต่ว่า (th) ( dtɛ̀ɛ-wâa )
Tibetan: ཡིན་ན་ཡང ( yin na yang )
Turkish: ama (tr) , ancak (tr) , fakat (tr) , lakin (tr)
Ukrainian: але́ (uk) ( alé )
Urdu: لیکن ( lekin ) , اگرچہ
Vietnamese: nhưng (vi) , nhưng mà (vi) , mà (vi)
Volapük: ab (vo)
Welsh: er
Yiddish: אָבער (yi) ( ober )
Zazaki: nara
Zhuang: please add this translation if you can
ǃXóõ: xàbēkà , gúʻni tshòo
rather
Afrikaans: maar (af)
Albanian: por (sq)
Aleut: al , alix̂ , taĝa , tax̂
Arabic: لٰكِن (ar) ( lākin ) , وَلٰكِنْ ( wa-lākin ) , بَلْ (ar) ( bal )
Egyptian Arabic: بس ( bas )
Hijazi Arabic: بس ( bass ) , لكن ( lākin )
Moroccan Arabic: ولكن ( wa-lakin ) , أما ( ʔamma )
South Levantine Arabic: لكن ( lāken ) , بسّ ( bass )
Armenian: այլ (hy) ( ayl )
Assamese: পিচে ( pise ) , পাচে ( pase ) , কিন্তু ( kintu )
Asturian: pero (ast)
Azerbaijani: amma (az) , lakin (az) , fəqət (az)
Basque: baina (eu)
Belarusian: але́ (be) ( aljé ) , а (be) ( a )
Bengali: কিন্তু (bn) ( kintu )
Breton: met (br)
Bulgarian: но (bg) ( no ) , ала́ (bg) ( alá ) ( often literary )
Burmese: သို့ရာတွင် (my) ( sui.ra-twang ) , သို့ပေမဲ့ (my) ( sui.pemai. )
Catalan: mes (ca) , però (ca) , mas (ca) ( old ) , emperò
Chichewa: koma
Chinese:
Cantonese: 而 (yue) ( ji4 ) , 但係 / 但系 ( daan6 hai6 ) , 不過 / 不过 ( bat1 gwo3 )
Mandarin: 可是 (zh) ( kěshì ) , 但是 (zh) ( dànshì ) , 不過 / 不过 (zh) ( bùguò ) , 而 (zh) ( ér )
Coptic: ⲁⲗⲗⲁ ( alla )
Czech: ale (cs) , jenže (cs)
Dalmatian: mui
Danish: men (da)
Dutch: maar (nl) , echter (nl)
Esperanto: sed (eo) , tamen (eo)
Estonian: ent (et)
Faroese: men (fo)
Finnish: mutta (fi) , vaan (fi)
French: mais (fr)
Galician: mais (gl) , pero (gl)
Georgian: არამედ ( aramed )
German: sondern (de) , aber (de)
Greek: αλλά (el) ( allá ) , μα (el) ( ma )
Ancient: ἀλλά ( allá ) , δέ ( dé ) ( postposition )
Greenlandic: kisianni , -li (enclitic only)
Hawaiian: akā
Hebrew: אֲבָל (he) ( avál ) , אוּלָם (he) ( ulám ) , אַךְ (he) ( akh ) , בְּרַם (he) ( b'ram )
Hindi: लेकिन ( lekin ) , मगर (hi) ( magar ) , परंतु (hi) ( parantu )
Hungarian: de (hu) , viszont (hu) , hanem (hu) , azonban (hu)
Icelandic: heldur (is)
Ido: ma (io)
Indonesian: namun (id) , tetapi (id)
Inuktitut: kisiani , ( enclitic only ) -li
Inupiaq: aglaan , -li (enclitic only)
Irish: ach
Italian: ma (it) , però (it) , tuttavia (it)
Japanese: では なく ( de wa naku ) , じゃ なく ( ja naku )
Kaingang: hã ra
Kapampangan: nune
Kazakh: бірақ ( bıraq )
Khmer: ដែរ (km) ( dae )
Korean: 그러나 (ko) ( geureona )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: بەڵام ( bellam )
Northern Kurdish: lê (ku)
Kyrgyz: бирок (ky) ( birok )
Lao: ແຕ່ ( tǣ )
Latgalian: a
Latin: sed (la)
Latvian: bet (lv) , taču
Lithuanian: bet (lt) , tačiau (lt) , nors (lt)
Macedonian: но ( no ) , туку ( tuku )
Malay: tetapi
Maltese: iżda , imma (mt)
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: харин (mn) ( xarin ) , биш , харин ( biš, xarin )
Mwali Comorian: ɓe
Navajo: ndi
Norwegian:
Bokmål: men (no)
Occitan: mas (oc)
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: нъ ( nŭ )
Old East Slavic: нъ ( nŭ ) , але ( ale )
Old English: ac , ah ( Anglian )
Persian: اما (fa) ( ammâ ) , با این حال ( ba in hâl ) , ولی (fa) ( vali ) , مگر (fa) ( magar ) , لیکن (fa) ( liken )
Polish: ale (pl)
Pontic Greek: άμα ( áma ) , νέμα ( néma ) , κι̮άρ' ( ki̮ár' )
Portuguese: mas (pt) , porém (pt)
Rapa Nui: pero
Romanian: dar (ro)
Romansch: ma , però
Russian: но (ru) ( no ) , а (ru) ( a )
Sanskrit: तु ( tu )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: него , већ
Roman: nego (sh) , već
Slovak: ale
Slovene: a (sl) , àmpak (sl)
Spanish: sino (es)
Swahili: bali , lakini , walakini (sw)
Swedish: utan (sv)
Tagalog: kundi
Tajik: аммо (tg) ( ammo ) , вале ( vale ) , лекин ( lekin )
Talysh:
Asalemi: ولی ( vali )
Tatar: ә ( ä ) , әмма ( ämma )
Thai: แต่ (th) ( dtɛ̀ɛ )
Tibetan: ཡིན་ན་ཡང ( yin na yang )
Turkish: ama (tr) , fakat (tr)
Turkmen: emma
Ukrainian: але́ (uk) ( alé ) , а (uk) ( a )
Urdu: لیکن ( lekin ) , مگر ( magar ) , پرنتہ ( parantu )
Uzbek: ammo (uz) , lekin (uz) , biroq (uz)
Vietnamese: nhưng (vi)
Welsh: heblaw am
West Frisian: mar (fy)
Yiddish: אָבער (yi) ( ober )
Yup'ik: taugaam ( sometimes enclitic only )
Zazaki: labelê , nara
Zulu: kodwa , kodwa
except
Afrikaans: behalwe (af)
Arabic: إِلَّا (ar) ( ʔillā ) , سِوًى ( siwan )
Hijazi Arabic: إلا ( illa ) , مَا عَدَا ( mā ʕadā )
Armenian: բացի (hy) ( bacʻi )
Azerbaijani: çıxmaqla , başqa (az) , savayı
Basque: izan ezik , salbu
Belarusian: акрамя́ ( akramjá )
Catalan: llevat de (ca) , tret de , excepte (ca)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 除咗……以外 ( ceoi4 zo2 ... ji5 ngoi6 )
Hokkien: 除了……以外 ( tî-liáu ... í-gōa / tû-liáu ... í-gōa )
Mandarin: 除了……以外 ( chúle ... yǐwài )
Czech: kromě (cs) , vyjma
Danish: undtagen , uden (da)
Dutch: behalve (nl)
Esperanto: krom (eo) , escepte de
Estonian: peale (et)
Faroese: uttan
Finnish: paitsi (fi)
French: sauf (fr) , en dehors de (fr)
Galician: agás (gl) , eigo
Georgian: გარდა ( garda ) , გარეშე ( gareše )
German: außer (de) , aber (de) nicht (de) , als (de) (only after negative sentences)
Greek: εκτός (el) ( ektós ) , πλην (el) ( plin ) , με εξαίρεση ( me exaíresi ) , αλλά (el) ( allá )
Greenlandic: -li
Hebrew: פרט ל ( prat' le- ) , למעט ( lema‘et' )
Hungarian: csak (hu)
Indonesian: tetapi (id) , tapi (id)
Irish: ach
Italian: eccetto (it) , salvo (it) , a parte , tranne (it)
Japanese: 以外 (ja) ( いがい, igai )
Khmer: ចៀសតែ ( ciəh tae )
Korean: 외에 (ko) ( -oee )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: بەڵام ( bellam ) , جگھ ( cigh )
Northern Kurdish: lê (ku) , ema (ku) , feqet (ku) , meger (ku)
Macedonian: освен ( osven )
Malay: kecuali (ms)
Maltese: minbarra , mingħajr
Norwegian:
Bokmål: enn (no) , bortsett fra , unntatt , foruten
Occitan: levat (oc) , exceptat , fòra (oc) , franc (oc) , manca (oc)
Old English: būtan
Persian: بجز (fa) ( bejoz ) , مگر (fa) ( magar )
Polish: oprócz (pl) , z wyjątkiem (pl)
Portuguese: exceto (pt) , salvo (pt)
Romanian: dar (ro) , însă (ro)
Russian: кро́ме (ru) ( króme ) , лишь (ru) ( lišʹ )
Scottish Gaelic: ach
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: сем , осим
Roman: sem (sh) , osim (sh)
Slovak: okrem , len
Slovene: rázen (sl)
Sotho: ha e se
Spanish: excepto (es) , salvo (es) , sino (es) , mas (es)
Swedish: förutom (sv) , utom (sv)
Tagalog: maliban
Turkish: hariç (tr) , başka (tr)
Ukrainian: крім ( krim )
Welsh: ac eithrio
West Frisian: mar (fy)
Zazaki: la (diq) , nara
solely, only, merely (obsolete)
Azerbaijani: ancaq (az) , təkcə
Chinese:
Mandarin: 只 (zh) ( zhǐ )
French: que (fr) , seulement (fr)
Galician: somente , namais , xiquera
German: nur (de)
Hungarian: csak (hu) , csupán (hu) , mindössze (hu) , pusztán (hu)
Japanese: だけ (ja) ( dake ) , しか (ja) ( shika )
Lithuanian: tik (lt) , vos (lt)
Old English: būtan
Russian: то́лько (ru) ( tólʹko ) , лишь (ru) ( lišʹ )
Slovak: len
Spanish: sólo (es) , solamente (es)
Zazaki: teyna
Translations to be checked
Noun
but (plural buts )
An instance of using the word "but"; an objection or caveat .
It has to be done—no ifs, ands, or buts .
But—and this is a big but —you have to come home by sundown.
2016 December 28, Concepcion de Leon, “5 Things Well-Meaning People Say to Me That Are Actually Really Offensive”, in Glamour , Greenwich, C.T., : Condé Nast Publications , →ISSN , →OCLC , archived from the original on 2023-02-08 :"I support you/understand where you're coming from, but..." ¶ No. No "buts " when it comes to other people's survival.
2018 September 17, Catriona Harvey-Jenner, “8 foods you should never eat before a workout”, in Cosmopolitan , New York, N.Y.: Hearst Communications , →ISSN , →OCLC , archived from the original on 2023-01-28 :But - and this is a pretty important but - it's just as bad to eat the wrong thing before a workout as it is to eat nothing at all.
( Scotland ) The outer room of a small two-room cottage .
A limit ; a boundary .
The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt .
Derived terms
Verb
but (third-person singular simple present buts , present participle butting , simple past and past participle butted )
( archaic ) Use the word "but".
But me no buts.
Derived terms
References
Anagrams
Danish
Etymology
From Middle Low German butt .
Adjective
but
( rare ) blunt
Inflection
Inflection of but
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
Indefinte common singular
but
—
—2
Indefinite neuter singular
but
—
—2
Plural
butte
—
—2
Definite attributive1
butte
—
—
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.
Synonyms
Antonyms
French
Etymology 1
From Middle French but ( “ mark, goal ” ) , from Old French but ( “ aim, goal, end, target ” ) , from Old French butte ( “ mound, knoll, target ” ) , from Frankish *but ( “ stump, log ” ) , or from Old Norse bútr ( “ log, stump, butt ” ) ; both from Proto-Germanic *buttaz ( “ end, piece ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewd- ( “ to beat, push ” ) .
Cognate with Old English butt ( “ tree stump ” ) ; see butt . The semantic development from "mound" to "target" is likely from martial training practice. The final /t/ is from the old pausal and liaison pronunciation; its (partial) restoration as the basic form may have been reinforced by related butte .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /by/
( outside Canada now more often ) IPA (key ) : /byt/
Noun
but m (plural buts )
aim
goal ( result one is attempting to achieve )
( sports ) goal (in the place, act, or point sense)
Synonyms
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From boire .
Pronunciation
Verb
but
third-person singular past historic of boire
Further reading
Indonesian
Noun
but (first-person possessive butku , second-person possessive butmu , third-person possessive butnya )
( computing ) bootstrap (process by which the operating system of a computer is loaded into its memory)
References
Maltese
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Noun
but m (plural bwiet , diminutive bwejjet or buta or bwejta )
pocket
( figuratively ) money
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English būtan , from Proto-West Germanic *biūtan , *biūtini , equivalent to be- + out .
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Conjunction
but
but
Descendants
References
Etymology 2
Noun
but
( Northern ) Alternative form of bote ( “ boot ” )
Polish
buty
Etymology
From earlier bót , from Old Czech bot . The change from bót to but was probably influenced by obuty ( “ shod ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
but m inan (diminutive bucik or butek , augmentative bucior or bucisko )
shoe ( protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of leather or synthetic material )
boot ( heavy shoe that covers part of the leg )
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
but in Wielki słownik języka polskiego , Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
but in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romani
Etymology
Inherited from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀩𑀳𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢 ( bahutta ) , from Sanskrit बहुत्व ( bahutva , “ much, many, very ” ) . Cognate with Hindi बहुत ( bahut ) .
Adjective
but (oblique bute )
much
many
But rroma mekhle i India thaj gele p-e aver phuva.Many Roma left India and went towards other lands.
Descendants
Kalo Finnish Romani: buut
Adverb
but
very
References
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Boretzky, Norbert , Igla, Birgit (1994 ) “but”, in Wörterbuch Romani-Deutsch-Englisch für den südosteuropäischen Raum : mit einer Grammatik der Dialektvarianten [Romani-German-English dictionary for the Southern European region ] (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN , page 39b
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985 ) “bahutva ”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages , London: Oxford University Press, page 519
↑ 3.0 3.1 Marcel Courthiade (2009 ) “but B-ćham: -e I”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek ] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN , page 97a
↑ 4.0 4.1 Yūsuke Sumi (2018 ) “but”, in ニューエクスプレスプラス ロマ(ジプシー)語 [New Express Plus Romani (Gypsy) ] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, published 2021 , →ISBN , →OCLC , page 147
^ Marcel Courthiade (2009 ) “but II”, in Melinda Rézműves, editor, Morri angluni rromane ćhibǎqi evroputni lavustik = Első rromani nyelvű európai szótáram : cigány, magyar, angol, francia, spanyol, német, ukrán, román, horvát, szlovák, görög [My First European-Romani Dictionary: Romani, Hungarian, English, French, Spanish, German, Ukrainian, Romanian, Croatian, Slovak, Greek ] (overall work in Hungarian and English), Budapest: Fővárosi Onkormányzat Cigány Ház--Romano Kher, →ISBN , page 97a
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بوت ( but ) .
Noun
but n (plural buturi )
thigh of an animal
Declension
Scots
Noun
but (plural buts )
The outer room of a small two-room cottage .
Preposition
but
Outside of, without .
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish بوت ( but ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
bȕt m (Cyrillic spelling бу̏т )
thigh
ham
Declension
References
“but ” in Hrvatski jezični portal
Turkish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Ottoman Turkish بود ( bud ) , بوت ( but ) , from Proto-Turkic *būt . Compare Old Turkic ( būt ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
but (definite accusative butu , plural butlar )
thigh
Synonyms
Volapük
Pronunciation
Noun
but (nominative plural buts )
boot
Declension
declension of but
1 status as a case is disputed
2 in later, non-classical Volapük only