Talk:but

Note on the purported verb sense: that is butt. --Connel MacKenzie 01:06, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

Hebrew

1. I changed the Hebrew translation of "but" (in the sense of "although") from "למרות" (lamrot - "despite") to "אבל" (aval - "but").

2. I removed the links from the word "אבל" (aval), because this word is written with the same letters as "אבל" (evel - "mourning"), but it is of course a different word. Liso 15:23, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

meanings of English conjunction but

I think the two examples of 2. ("I am not rich but poor.", "You told me I could do that but she said that I could not.") have a different meaning and should be separated. The first one is "on the contrary (introducing a word or clause that contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence without the not)" - there, the but is directly linked to the not. This corresponds with German "sondern".

The other one is the same as 3. ("She is very old, but still attractive." (the following clause contrasts with the preceding or is contrary to prior belief)). This corresponds to German "aber". Are the commas making a difference? Could you put a comma to "You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not" or leave out the comma in "She is very old but still attractive."? Putting a comma to "I am not rich, but poor" would not make sense. --Androl 20:55, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

An aside, but would anyone mind me changing "She is very old but still attractive." out for a different example? It seems needlessly sexist (in that it is reinforcing sexist tropes, not in that it is being oppressive to the particular 'she' involved on the basis of her gender). I would propose something which is more concretely and non-problematically associated with age, such as: "She is very old but still strong" or "She is very old but still young at heart." (old folks feel free to weigh in on whether these are non-problematic as intended) Joecycle (talk) 13:51, 30 March 2021 (UTC)

English idiomatic use as an emphatic

I've seen a few times sentences of the sort "[interjection], but [statement]!" e.g. [1] [2]. Anyone know what to make of that and whether that merits any mention here? Prosody 05:57, 12 June 2010 (UTC)

This intensifying/emphatic use is definitely an established meaning of the word; the dictionary.com definition includes it (definition 8 under "conjunction") and Webster's also has something which looks like this sense (though they call it an adverb). I couldn't find it in my Oxford, but it's only the concise addition, so that could be why. Regardless, it seems like it should definitely be included here - we just need to decide what part of speech it should be included as. "Adverb" is probably the least controversial, as that's pretty much a catch-all for anything without a better description (not to mention, it's hard to see it as a conjunction when there's only one "conjunct"). D4g0thur (talk) 08:43, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

comma

I assume revert at http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=but&action=historysubmit&diff=11331198&oldid=11331117 done for good reason, but I'm not sure what that might be. Provided reason for edit in edit comment. Mike Linksvayer 03:18, 11 January 2011 (UTC)

Scots adverbial sense: "though"?

There is a Scots adverbial sense I've heard sometimes at the very end of a sentence, perhaps something like: "I don't like her, but." I think "though but" is used as well. Equinox ◑ 14:45, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

Cognate with Armenian "բայց"

When I compare English "but" with "բայց" (bayts) I have a feeling that they both have same origin. Is it true? Gegart 12:42, 06 May 2015 (UTC)

Missing emphatic sense

e.g. "Jakers, but we worked" in the citation at jakers. It means something like "oh, how (hard) we worked!" Equinox ◑ 15:32, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

Also e.g. "nobody, but nobody, crosses me and gets away with it". Equinox ◑ 20:58, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

 Done I have made an attempt. Equinox ◑ 17:57, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

Conjunction senses 4 and 5 may overlap; needs merge or clarify

Equinox ◑ 17:49, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

Etymology may need splitting

The alternative form of butt presumably isn't the same ety as the conjunction. Equinox ◑ 21:31, 9 November 2018 (UTC)

Conjunction: when 2. without something happening

conjunction 
1. than or when (informal) 
I'd no sooner put the phone down but it rang again.
2. used to indicate that something does not happen without something else happening or being the case (formal) (usually used after negatives) 
She never leaves home but she forgets her keys.

--Backinstadiums (talk) 18:43, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

but one

As in It'd be the lost job but one --Backinstadiums (talk) 16:38, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Sentence connector (informal)

Sentence connector (informal): used to introduce an exclamation: my, but you're nice. What alternative PoS would Wiktionary use for that use? --Backinstadiums (talk) 10:36, 9 November 2020 (UTC)

all but

what's the meaning of but in all but? --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:07, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

except. Equinox ◑ 11:13, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

Unless

Nothing would do but that I should come in.

I am not sure this meaning is covered yet (because except also 'unless' (archaic)). --Backinstadiums (talk) 12:47, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

but still

But still is a standard idiom, especially informally: It’s late but still you did want me to stay --Backinstadiums (talk) 13:00, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

See also (but) still and all --Backinstadiums (talk) 13:00, 21 February 2021 (UTC)

Conjunction : (used to show a feeling of happiness, shock, or surprise); (Informal) "than"

Conjunction
 1. (used to show a feeling of happiness, shock, or surprise about something) But that's wonderful/amazing! 
 2. (Informal) "than": It no sooner started raining but it stopped.

--Backinstadiums (talk) 12:37, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

none but

adv. only; nothing but; nothing less than: He had none but the best wishes for her --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:27, 27 July 2021 (UTC)

@Backinstadiums: "But" means "except". We wouldn't create an entry for "none except"; this is the same. Equinox ◑ 00:46, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

Now you're going to ask about nothing but. Should be deleted IMO :) But I won't dip my toe in that one. Equinox ◑ 00:47, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

@Equinox https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=nothing --Backinstadiums (talk) 08:28, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

@Backinstadiums: "I found it in another book" DOESN'T CUT IT. Please stop. Please please stop. All books are imperfect. We don't need to copy everything you ever read. Equinox ◑ 09:25, 28 July 2021 (UTC)

@Backinstadiums: Really, don't stop. Your questions enhance the project. Equinox is getting unnecessarily salty again. Queenofnortheast (talk) 09:56, 29 July 2021 (UTC)

@Equinox, Queenofnortheast I really was hoping for a comment on Equinox's part about the rationale shown there in its Usage Note. --Backinstadiums (talk) 11:04, 29 July 2021 (UTC)

Only but not merely - Burns quote

This quote " For to see her was to love her, Love but her, and love for ever." seems not to fit in with the rest, because it doesn't mean "merely" it means "nothing but" General Vicinity (talk) 18:04, 22 December 2021 (UTC)

@General Vicinity Doesn't merely mean "nothing but"? Is there some nuance that I'm missing? Thesaurus:merely lists only and just as synonyms. - excarnateSojourner (talk | contrib) 08:23, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

The other ones mean "no more than", expressing lack of length, importance etc. but Burns' means "no other than", emphasizing exclusivity. General Vicinity (talk) 08:56, 24 December 2021 (UTC)

"but" eclipsed non-native "mes" from anglo-normand.

I don't have any sources of this affirmation. A person have a link ? Claromale (talk) 23:07, 16 June 2023 (UTC)