mere

¹ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

adjective

superlative

merest

1. being nothing more nor better than.

   a mere pittance;

   He is still a mere child.

2. Obsolete.

   1. pure and unmixed, as wine, a people, or a language.

   2. fully as much as what is specified; completely fulfilled or developed; absolute.

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mere ² American  

[meer] / mɪər /

Or mear

noun

British Dialect.

1. a boundary or boundary marker.

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mère ³ American  

[mer, mair] / mɛr, mɛər /

noun

French.

plural

mères

1. mother.

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-mere ⁴ American  

1. a combining form meaning “part,” used in the formation of compound words.

   blastomere.

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mere ⁵ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

noun

1. Chiefly British Dialect. a lake or pond.

2. Obsolete. any body of sea water.

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mere ¹ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a lake or marsh

2. obsolete the sea or an inlet of it

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-mere ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

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mere ³ British  

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

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mere ⁴ British  

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

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mere ⁵ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a boundary or boundary marker

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–mere Scientific  

1. A suffix meaning “part” or “segment,” as in blastomere, one of the cells that form a blastula.

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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 mere¹

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 -mere¹

Combining form representing Greek méros

Origin of mere¹

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

Example Sentences

On 11 May, with negotiations still ongoing, Epstein tells Lord Mandelson "a mere opposition party, is not in your interest" to which Lord Mandelson seems to reply "Not sure in my interest to father a mutual suicide pact".

From BBC

Some chalked up his play as a mere byproduct of playing under Kevin O’Connell, another highly regarded offensive coach, and having one of the game’s best wideouts, Justin Jefferson.

From The Wall Street Journal

It could be game, set, match for tennis pro Tommy Paul’s newly listed $2.8 million Florida abode, which has found itself a buyer mere days after it was put on the market—just before the sports star was knocked out of his quest for victory at the Australian Open by Carlos Alcaraz.

From MarketWatch

Hollywood legend Gene Hackman’s longtime New Mexico home has come under offer, mere days after it was put on the market for $6.25 million—and less than a year after the actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside the sprawling property.

From MarketWatch

A mere six days after it first started erupting, a newspaper ran a picture of a young man who had climbed to the rim of the crater and back down.

From Literature

Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple