mere
1 Americanadjective
superlative
merest-
being nothing more nor better than.
a mere pittance;
He is still a mere child.
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Obsolete.
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pure and unmixed, as wine, a people, or a language.
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fully as much as what is specified; completely fulfilled or developed; absolute.
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noun
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Chiefly British Dialect. a lake or pond.
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Obsolete. any body of sea water.
noun
noun
plural
mèresadjective
noun
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archaic a lake or marsh
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obsolete the sea or an inlet of it
noun
combining form
noun
Usage
What does -mere mean? The combining form -mere is used like a suffix meaning “part.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology and anatomy.The form -mere comes from Greek méros, meaning “part” or “portion.” From this same source, we also get the combining forms -mer and -merous. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both forms.
Related Words
Mere, bare imply a scant sufficiency. They are often interchangeable, but mere frequently means no more than (enough). Bare suggests scarcely as much as (enough). Thus a mere livelihood means enough to live on but no more; a bare livelihood means scarcely enough to live on.
Other Word Forms
- -meric combining form
Etymology
Origin of mere1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English mer(e) “pure, clear, unmixed,” from Old French mier, mer, from Latin merus “pure, unmixed, simple, mere”
Origin of mere2
First recorded before 900; Middle English mere, mer, meire, Old English mer, mære “sea, ocean, lake, pond, well, cistern,” cognate with German Meer, Old Norse marr, Gothic marei, Old Irish muir, Latin mare
Origin of mere3
First recorded before 900; Middle English mere, mer, merre, Old English mǣre, gemǣre; cognate with Old Norse mæri “boundary, border land”; akin to Latin mūrus “defensive wall, city wall, boundary wall”
Origin of -mere5
Combining form representing Greek méros
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Of course, micro-dramas, which are scripted, filmed and released in mere months, don't offer the same quality or narrative depth as movies and streamed shows.
From BBC
On Friday, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi criticised the CBI for "trying to construct a narrative of conspiracy on the basis of mere conjecture", legal news website Bar and Bench reported.
From BBC
Trusting the American public’s intelligence, he concluded, “a mere fraud could not have lived so long and spread so widely.”
From Literature
Nevertheless, this man, grown out of Flea Bottom’s gutters, appropriates the tradition by holding his vows as a representation of lived reality, rather than as a mere ritual or badge of social class.
From Salon
But the mere thought of asking for anything made my tongue swell and my mouth clamp shut.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
