This is from a dialogue in the film Gladiator (2000):
We mortals are but shadows and dust. Shadows and dust, Maximus.
Source: Gladiator (2000) movie script – Screenplays for You
Could someone please explain this sentence? Apparently, the words “dust” and “shadows” are used figuratively. Does this “but” mean “only”?
“but” can be a conjunction expressing contrast as in: He was sad, but didn’t show it. And it can be an adverb meaning only, not more than as in There were but three people present/She is but a little girl, not a woman.
Furthermore, “but” has a lot of particular uses as shown in a larger dictionary.