English → Latin
“but for” in Latin
nisī̆if not, unless, exceptsumto be, exist; there be; to govolōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intend
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
but for
(i. e., were it not for, had it not been for) (i. e., were it not for, had it not been for) some person or thing, nisi or ni aliquis or aliqiud esset, fuisset; (absque aliquo or aliqua re esset is used by comic writers). The bridge would have afforded a way to the enemy, but for one man, Hor. Cocles, pons iter hostibus dedit, ni unus vir fuisset, H.C. (only in comedy should we find absque uno viro, Horatio Coclite, esset.). I would, but for hurting him, vellem, ni foret ei damnum.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for but for?
- The usual Latin words for “but for” are nisī̆, sum, volō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.