The Aesop’s Fables translated by George Fyler Townsend book has a line which reads as follows:
… If you had but touched me, my friend, you …
I’ve seen the word ‘but’ used this way a couple of times, but I’m not sure I understand the meaning of this phrase correctly. What is the general rule for using ‘but’ this way?
Answer
In the fragment
… If you had but touched me, my friend, you …
but functions as an adverb whose definition, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary (2nd Edition) is
no more than; only
Thus, your example could very well read
- … If only you had touched me, my friend, you …
Other examples:
- I am but a mere mortal.
- He is but a child.
- That was but a distant memory.
This usage of but, though, is largely restricted to formal or literary contexts.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : martinthenext , Answer Author : Jimi Oke
