The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
If \If\, conj. [OE. if, gif, AS. gif; akin to OFries. ief, gef,
ef, OS. ef, of, D. of, or, whether, if, G. ob whether, if,
OHG. oba, ibu, Icel. ef, Goth. iba, ibai, an interrogative
particle; properly a case form of a noun meaning, doubt (cf.
OHG. iba doubt, condition, Icel. if, ef, ifi, efi), and
therefore orig. meaning, on condition that.]
1. In case that; granting, allowing, or supposing that; --
introducing a condition or supposition.
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Tisiphone, that oft hast heard my prayer,
Assist, if [OE]dipus deserve thy care. --Pope.
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If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones
be made bread. --Matt. iv. 3.
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2. Whether; -- in dependent questions.
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Uncertain if by augury or chance. --Dryden.
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She doubts if two and two make four. --Prior.
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As if, But if. See under As, But.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
But \But\ (b[u^]t), prep., adv. & conj. [OE. bute, buten, AS.
b[=u]tan, without, on the outside, except, besides; pref. be-
+ [=u]tan outward, without, fr. [=u]t out. Primarily,
b[=u]tan, as well as [=u]t, is an adverb. [root]198. See
By, Out; cf. About.]
1. Except with; unless with; without. [Obs.]
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So insolent that he could not go but either spurning
equals or trampling on his inferiors. --Fuller.
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Touch not the cat but a glove. --Motto of the
Mackintoshes.
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2. Except; besides; save.
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Who can it be, ye gods! but perjured Lycon? --E.
Smith.
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Note: 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.
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3. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it
not that; unless; -- elliptical, for but that.
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And but my noble Moor is true of mind . . . it were
enough to put him to ill thinking. --Shak.
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4. Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a
negative, with that.
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It cannot be but nature hath some director, of
infinite power, to guide her in all her ways.
--Hooker.
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There is no question but the king of Spain will
reform most of the abuses. --Addison.
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5. Only; solely; merely.
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Observe but how their own principles combat one
another. --Milton.
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If they kill us, we shall but die. --2 Kings vii.
4.
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A formidable man but to his friends. --Dryden.
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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.
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Now abideth faith hope, charity, these three; but
the greatest of these is charity. --1 Cor. xiii.
13.
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When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the
lowly is wisdom. --Prov. xi. 2.
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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 ?.
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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.
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But if, unless. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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But this I read, that but if remedy
Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see.
--Spenser.
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Syn: But, However, Still.
Usage: 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.
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Note: "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.
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