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 boundary or boundary marker

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mere ³ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a lake or marsh

2. obsolete the sea or an inlet of it

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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 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

The conservation programme is a partnership between the Wassand Estate, which overlooks the mere, and Yorkshire Water's Tophill Low Nature Reserve.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Resting state citizenship on residency reinforces the thesis that citizenship generally requires residence, not mere presence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

It may be a mere scrap of land, but Kharg handles around 90 percent of Iran's crude exports, according to a report by US bank JP Morgan.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Data from the Department of Justice reveals that over half of Somali nationals who had an open asylum case were suddenly reassigned, given a new judge and a new hearing date mere weeks away.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

The mere possibility of it being her sent a fresh wave of guilt through him.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple