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• mere
  mere

  adjective

  being nothing more nor better than.
• mère
  mère

  noun

  mother.
• -mere
  -mere

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

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

mere

¹ American  

[meer] / mɪər /

adjective

• merest
  superlative

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.

• mères
  plural

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 /

noun

1. archaic a lake or marsh

2. obsolete the sea or an inlet of it

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-mere ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a part or division

   blastomere

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mere ³ British  

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

noun

1. a short flat striking weapon

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mere ⁴ British  

/ mɪə /

adjective

1. being nothing more than something specified

   she is a mere child

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mere ⁵ British  

/ mɪə /

noun

1. archaic a boundary or boundary marker

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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.

Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• -meric
  combining form

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mères
  plural

Adjectives

• merest
  superlative

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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

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Explanation

Mere means pure and simple, nothing more and nothing less. If the mere mention of someone's name makes you happy, then just hearing his name — and that alone — is enough to make you smile. Mere can have a little irony attached. If you introduce yourself as "a mere student," when you’re announcing your astounding invention, you're contrasting your lowly status with the enormity of your invention. This kind of mere comes from the Latin for "undiluted." Mere has a homograph — a completely different word that's spelled the same — and this mere means a lake or a pond. It’s related to the Dutch word meer — there’s lots of water in Holland.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mere mère mères merest

Without it, growth would have slowed to a mere fraction of a percentage point, leaving the economy nearly stagnant and flirting with recession.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

And unlike us mere mortals, they aren’t afflicted by pesky qualms about their reputation or career, or that queasy feeling in the gut produced by years of social conditioning against lying or ripping people off.

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026

While some on Wall Street view a combination as more of an inevitable reality and less a mere possibility, Musk recently reminded investors that nothing is guaranteed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

In 2022, the last year Ford broke out earnings for its European operations, it posted a mere $47 million profit, down from $1.2 billion in 2016.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The mere thought of Isadora made him relax a little.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Am wondering about the recipe recited to you by "Ma mère" with the potatoes, onions, mussels, scallops, etc.

From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2016

I thought of George Perec's La Disparition, which was written in French without using the letter "e", a restriction that meant he could not write père, mère, parents, famille, or his own name.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 26, 2012

Denise instructs her in cookery, but she feels as if she should never need the knowledge, since Mrs. Grandon mère is at the head of the great house, with servants to do her bidding.

From Floyd Grandon's Honor by Amanda Minnie Douglas

“What? fool!” exclaimed ma mère, going to the lid and lifting it; when the foul wind rushed up, and once more nearly extinguished her candle.

From Mad A Story of Dust and Ashes by George Manville Fenn

“Yes, ma mère, but crying out will not stop them,” remarked Miss Cecile; an observation which Jack highly admired.

From The Three Midshipmen by Victor Prout

The brigade system became standard in ambitious French restaurants, as did a more stylized form of cooking that took pains to set itself apart from what the mères had achieved.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2020

He growled out affably: "Mais non, on ne mange pas les enfants, ni leurs mères," and gathered up the baby and passed him about for the others to look at.

From A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson

Even the shepherds had lost the power of communing with the planets at night; and all the valley read the Petit Journal instead of consulting the vieilles mères.

From In and out of Three Normady Inns by Anna Bowman Dodd

She reset to hold, then wrestled back the break, allowing herself the merest of smiles.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

His strictly regulated factory model brooks no challenges from his workers, and he employs an enormous security force to snuff out the merest whisper of pro-union sentiment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026

Acquaroli, quietly astonishing, brings humanity and the merest touch of weary humor to his stubborn policeman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2025

Before Saturday, the atmospheric spigots of April had given us the merest trickle of moisture.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2023

She acknowledged his greeting with the merest nod.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

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Related Words

• bare
• minor
• pure
• sheer
• simple

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