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.

---

mere ² American  

[meer] / mɪər /

noun

1. Chiefly British Dialect. a lake or pond.

2. Obsolete. any body of sea water.

---

mere ³ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

Or mear

noun

British Dialect.

1. a boundary or boundary marker.

---

mère ⁴ American  

[mer, mair] / mɛr, mɛər /

noun

French.

plural

mères

1. mother.

---

-mere ⁵ American  

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

   blastomere.

---

mere ¹ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a lake or marsh

2. obsolete the sea or an inlet of it

---

-mere ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

---

mere ³ British  

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

---

mere ⁴ British  

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

---

mere ⁵ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a boundary or boundary marker

---

–mere Scientific  

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

---

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

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

But the mere fact that the jury agreed with Lanier's arguments is a considerable win to the personal injury lawyers involved in the case.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Or President George W. Bush’s 2003 “mission accomplished” speech from a carrier off the coast of California, mere weeks into a war in Iraq that lasted years.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

But the mere possibility that they might has already accomplished something important: It has exposed how incomplete our understanding of consciousness still is.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Madame Babushkinov had already made up her mind, and mere facts could not sway her opinion.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple