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but

English translation: simply / just

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:but
Selected answer:simply / just
Entered by: Donna Stevens

09:06 May 29, 2013
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Science - Science (general) / oceans
English term or phrase: but
It is World Oceans Day. Why is it important to commemorate such a day?
>> Well, the ocean actually dominates the world. It's the underpinning of everything we care about: our economy, health, security, ***but*** life itself. So we should celebrate it. We should draw attention to the ocean and why we should care.

Does the phrase mean "and even life itself"? Or "that is, life itself"?
Ana Juliá
Spain
Local time: 07:37
simply
Explanation:
This is an adverb, not a conjunction or preposition. Here it means "simply life itself" or "just life itself"
This is a rather old-fashioned, or perhaps one could say poetic use of the word "but". You find it used in the King James Version of the Bible e.g. 1 Samuel 17 "Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth,..."
Edgar Allan Poe wrote "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
Selected response from:

Donna Stevens
Norway
Local time: 07:37
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +1simply
Donna Stevens


Discussion entries: 8





  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
simply


Explanation:
This is an adverb, not a conjunction or preposition. Here it means "simply life itself" or "just life itself"
This is a rather old-fashioned, or perhaps one could say poetic use of the word "but". You find it used in the King James Version of the Bible e.g. 1 Samuel 17 "Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth,..."
Edgar Allan Poe wrote "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."

Example sentence(s):
  • This was but the start of the tragedy.
  • She was but a child when her father died.

    Reference: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edgarallan109738....
Donna Stevens
Norway
Local time: 07:37
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Edith Kelly: just
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Edith!
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