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But if

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.

    Tisiphone, that oft hast heard my prayer, Assist, if [OE]dipus deserve thy care.
    --Pope.

    If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
    --Matt. iv. 3.

  2. Whether; -- in dependent questions.

    Uncertain if by augury or chance.
    --Dryden.

    She doubts if two and two make four.
    --Prior.

    As if, But if. See under As, But.

But if

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.]

    So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors.
    --Fuller.

    Touch not the cat but a glove.
    --Motto of the Mackintoshes.

  2. Except; besides; save.

    Who can it be, ye gods! but perjured Lycon?
    --E. Smith.

    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.

  3. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless; -- elliptical, for but that.

    And but my noble Moor is true of mind . . . it were enough to put him to ill thinking.
    --Shak.

  4. Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a negative, with that.

    It cannot be but nature hath some director, of infinite power, to guide her in all her ways.
    --Hooker.

    There is no question but the king of Spain will reform most of the abuses.
    --Addison.

  5. Only; solely; merely.

    Observe but how their own principles combat one another.
    --Milton.

    If they kill us, we shall but die.
    --2 Kings vii. 4.

    A formidable man but to his friends.
    --Dryden.

  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.

    Now abideth faith hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
    --1 Cor. xiii. 13.

    When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.
    --Prov. xi. 2.

    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 ?.

    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.

    But if, unless. [Obs.]
    --Chaucer.

    But this I read, that but if remedy Thou her afford, full shortly I her dead shall see.
    --Spenser.

    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.

    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.

Wiktionary
but if

conj. (context obsolete English) unless. (13th-16th c.)

Usage examples of "but if".

We might have a chance to get out of this a small one but if you fools stand around squabbling, all we're going to do is die.

I feel I should stay and help you, but if my father checks the passenger list and finds I never got on the plane, he'll know that something is wrong.

It's been a hot July, a perfect good old by God blue-ribbon jeezer of a July, no doubt about it, but if you want to know the truth, it's also been a dry July, with no water but the occasional flipped spray of a hose to stir those last shreds of Chinese paper from where they lie.

I'm not sure where yet, but if I can just get a little time to think .

The path was clear, at least for the time being a gray streak about two feet wide winding through the shadows but if the moon hadn't come up, they would probably be in even deeper shit than they already were.

For now he still knows what's going on upstairs (this is how he thinks of Tak's world now, as upstairs), but if he turns these switches There's no time to reconsider, though.

I said I could probably put together a little cowboy outfit for him, if he'd like that, but if he wanted to go as a MotoKop, we'd have to go out to Payless and buy a store outfit.

It's strong, but if you put enough heat into it, it'll melt like butter.

He looked too young to be serving in Starfleet, but if he was here, then he was obviously capable.

A city in space may be slower, but if you have the extra timeand if you're in constant communication with the rest of the solar system anywaythen it's far more comfortable than either a torchship or a catapulter.