mere

¹

[meer]

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

[meer]

noun

1. Chiefly British Dialect.,  a lake or pond.

2. Obsolete.,  any body of sea water.

mere

³

Or mear

[meer]

noun

British Dialect.

1. a boundary or boundary marker.

mère

⁴

[mer, mair]

noun

French.

plural

mères 

1. mother.

-mere

⁵

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

   blastomere.

mere

¹

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

mere

²

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic,  a lake or marsh

2. obsolete,  the sea or an inlet of it

mere

³

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic,  a boundary or boundary marker

mere

⁴

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

-mere

⁵

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

–mere

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

Other Word Forms

• -meric combining form

Word History and Origins

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 –mere⁴

Combining form representing Greek méros

Word History and Origins

Origin of –mere¹

C15: from Latin merus pure, unmixed

Origin of –mere²

Old English mere sea, lake; related to Old Saxon meri sea, Old Norse marr, Old High German mari; compare Latin mare

Origin of –mere³

Old English gemǣre

Origin of –mere⁴

Māori

Origin of –mere⁵

from Greek meros part, portion

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

"Mere politics cannot break Britain, conference," Sir Keir said.

From BBC

What remains is a flattened, inaccurate history that centers white heterosexual Christian men as the architects of American greatness, relegating others to mere bystanders or occupying passive, supporting roles.

From Salon

Jayden Myers' reply early in the second half gave Wakefield hope, but a Gareth O'Brien penalty and Alec Tuitavake's score meant Cameron Scott's superb solo try was mere consolation.

From BBC

Essay Topic: Given that we probably shouldn’t, as mere mortals, assume divine powers, is condemning someone to hell — or entire countries, in this case — an act of blasphemy?

From Los Angeles Times

And feminists have increasingly pushed back on the treatment of pregnant women as mere vessels for babies, incubators whose desires, lives, and pain need not be taken into account.

From Slate

Related Words

• bare 
• minor 
• pure 
• sheer 
• simple 

When To Use

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.