mere
1[ meer ]
/ mɪər /
adjective, superlative mer·est.
being nothing more nor better than: a mere pittance; He is still a mere child.
Obsolete.
- pure and unmixed, as wine, a people, or a language.
- fully as much as what is specified; completely fulfilled or developed; absolute.
QUIZZES
THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST
In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?
Question 1 of 10
seclusion
Origin of mere
1First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin merus “pure, unmixed, simple, mere”
synonym study for mere
1. 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.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mere
mere , mirrorDefinition for mere (2 of 5)
mere2
[ meer ]
/ mɪər /
noun
Chiefly British Dialect. a lake or pond.
Obsolete. any body of sea water.
Origin of mere
2before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Meer,Old Norse marr,Gothic marei,Old Irish muir,Latin mare
Definition for mere (3 of 5)
mere3
or mear
[ meer ]
/ mɪər /
noun British Dialect.
a boundary or boundary marker.
Origin of mere
3before 900; Middle English; Old English (ge)mǣre; cognate with Old Norse mǣri; akin to Latin mūrus wall, rim
Definition for mere (4 of 5)
-mere
a combining form meaning “part,” used in the formation of compound words: blastomere.
Origin of -mere
Combining form representing Greek méros
Definition for mere (5 of 5)
mère
[ mer; English mair ]
/ mɛr; English mɛər /
noun, plural mères [mer; English mairz]. /mɛr; English mɛərz/. French.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for mere (1 of 5)
mere1
/ (mɪə) /
adjective superlative merest
being nothing more than something specifiedshe is a mere child
Word Origin for mere
C15: from Latin merus pure, unmixed
British Dictionary definitions for mere (2 of 5)
mere2
/ (mɪə) /
noun
archaic, or dialect a lake or marsh
obsolete the sea or an inlet of it
Word Origin for mere
Old English mere sea, lake; related to Old Saxon meri sea, Old Norse marr, Old High German mari; compare Latin mare
British Dictionary definitions for mere (3 of 5)
mere3
/ (mɪə) /
noun
archaic a boundary or boundary marker
Word Origin for mere
Old English gemǣre
British Dictionary definitions for mere (4 of 5)
mere4
/ (ˈmɛrɪ) /
noun
NZ a short flat striking weapon
Word Origin for mere
Māori
British Dictionary definitions for mere (5 of 5)
-mere
n combining form
indicating a part or divisionblastomere
Derived forms of -mere
-meric, adj combining formWord Origin for -mere
from Greek meros part, portion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Medical definitions for mere
-mere
suff.
Part; segment:blastomere, polymer.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for mere
-mere
-mer
A suffix meaning part or segment, as in blastomere, one of the cells that form a blastula.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.