[buht; unstressed buh
t] 
| 1. | on the contrary; yet: My brother went, but I did not. |
| 2. | except; save: She was so overcome with grief she could do nothing but weep. |
| 3. | unless; if not; except that (fol. by a clause, often with that expressed): Nothing would do but that I should come in. |
| 4. | without the circumstance that: It never rains but it pours. |
| 5. | otherwise than: There is no hope but by prayer. |
| 6. | that (used esp. after doubt, deny, etc., with a negative): I don't doubt but he will do it. |
| 7. | who not; that not: No leaders worthy of the name ever existed but they were optimists. |
| 8. | (used as an intensifier to introduce an exclamatory expression): But she's beautiful! |
| 9. | Informal. than: It no sooner started raining but it stopped. |
| 10. | with the exception of; except; save: No one replied but me. |
| 11. | only; just: There is but one God. |
| 12. | buts, reservations or objections: You'll do as you're told, no buts about it. |
| 13. | but for, except for; were it not for: But for the excessive humidity, it might have been a pleasant day. |
| 14. | but what. what (def. 24). |
[buht] | 1. | the outer or front room of a house; the outer or front apartment in an apartment house. |
| 2. | the kitchen of a two-room dwelling, esp. of a cottage. |
| a combining form meaning “containing a group of four carbon atoms,” used in the formation of compound words: butene. |
[buht] | any of several flatfishes, esp. the halibut. |
| but (bŭt; bət when unstressed) conj.
adv.
[Middle English, from Old English būtan; see ud- in Indo-European roots.] Usage Note: Traditional grammarians have worried over what form the pronoun ought to take when but is used to indicate an exception in sentences such as No one but I (or No one but me) has read it. Some have argued that but is a conjunction in these sentences and therefore should be followed by the nominative form I. However, many of these grammarians have gone on to argue somewhat inconsistently that the accusative form me is appropriate when the but phrase occurs at the end of a sentence, as in No one has read it but me. While this treatment of the construction has a considerable weight of precedent on its side and cannot be regarded as incorrect, a strong case can be made on grammatical grounds for treating this use of but as a preposition. For one thing, if but were truly a conjunction here, we would expect the verb to agree in person and number with the noun or pronoun following but; we would then say No one but the students have read it. What is more, if but were a true conjunction here we would not expect that it could be moved to the end of a clause, as in No one has read it but the students. Note that we cannot use the conjunction and in a similar way, saying John left and everyone else in the class in place of John and everyone else in the class left. These observations suggest that but is best considered as a preposition here and followed by accusative forms such as me and them in all positions: No one but me has read it. No one has read it but me. These recommendations are supported by 73 percent of the Usage Panel when the but phrase precedes the verb and by 93 percent when the but phrase follows the verb. · But is redundant when used together with however, as in But the army, however, went on with its plans; one or the other word should be eliminated. · But is generally not followed by a comma. Correct written style requires Kim wanted to go, but we stayed, not Kim wanted to go, but, we stayed. · But may be used to begin a sentence at all levels of style. See Usage Notes at and, cannot, doubt, however, I1. |
butt
[bət]
|
but
In addition to the idioms beginning with but, also see all but; all over but the shouting; anything but; can't help but; close but no cigar; everything but the kitchen sink; it never rains but it pours; last but not least; no ifs or buts; nothing but; sadder but wiser; separate but equal; slow but sure; spirit is willing but the flesh is weak; there but for the grace of god.