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 /

noun

1. Chiefly British Dialect.  a lake or pond.

2. Obsolete.  any body of sea water.

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mere ³ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

Or mear

noun

British Dialect.

1. a boundary or boundary marker.

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mère ⁴ American  

[mer, mair] / mɛr, mɛər /

noun

French.

PLURAL

mères

1. mother.

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-mere ⁵ American  

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

   blastomere.

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mere ¹ British  

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

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mere ² British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic  a lake or marsh

2. obsolete  the sea or an inlet of it

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mere ³ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic  a boundary or boundary marker

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mere ⁴ British  

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

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-mere ⁵ British  

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

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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, 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 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

Example Sentences

Earlier, Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, lost nine wickets for a mere 30 runs after being well set on 84-1 in the 11th over.

From Barron's

Consider the performative flourish and hubris it requires for Kennedy to have announced in April that the nation’s top health agency would find the cause of autism in mere months, then blaming it on Tylenol in September, despite there being no evidence for his claim.

From Salon

And he never knew that, unlike the verdict of an early viewer who dismissed his paintings as “mere legerdemain,” today they are seen as magical in a positive sense.

From The Wall Street Journal

Beyond mere warnings to the account holders, Cox could have eventually limited or slowed internet access.

From Slate

Maiava, of course, has been more than just a mere caretaker.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple