but
Meaning
-
- Apart from, except (for), excluding.
- Outside of.
Synonyms
and yet
but rather
for all that
maybe not
other than that
leaving that aside
along with this
notwithstanding that
apart from that
but also
in what way
no more than
provided that
and then
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/bʌt/
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”)).
Bookmark this
Improve your pronunciation
Write this word
Start learning English with learnfeliz.
Practice speaking and memorizing "but" and many other words and sentences in English.
Go to our English course page
Notes
Sign in to write sticky notes
Sentences
Questions