51Թ

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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.

è

4

[mer, mair]

noun

French.

plural

ès 
  1. mother.

-mere

5
  1. a combining form meaning “part,” used in the formation of compound words.

    blastomere.

mere

1

/ ɪə /

adjective

  1. being nothing more than something specified

    she is a mere child

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mere

2

/ ɪə /

noun

  1. archaica lake or marsh

  2. obsoletethe sea or an inlet of it

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mere

3

/ ɪə /

noun

  1. archaica boundary or boundary marker

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mere

4

/ ˈɛɪ /

noun

  1. a short flat striking weapon

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

-mere

5

combining form

  1. indicating a part or division

    blastomere

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

–m

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

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Other 51Թ Forms

  • -meric combining form
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of –m1

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 –m2

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 –m3

First recorded before 900; Middle English mere, mer, merre, Old English mǣre, ǣ; cognate with Old Norse æ “boundary, border land”; akin to Latin ūܲ “defensive wall, city wall, boundary wall”

Origin of –m4

Combining form representing Greek éDz
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of –m1

C15: from Latin merus pure, unmixed

Origin of –m2

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

Origin of –m3

Old English ǣ

Origin of –m4

ǰ

Origin of –m5

from Greek meros part, portion
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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.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But something had gone catastrophically wrong, and mere seconds after its wheels left the ground, the plane was in trouble.

From

He focused on transforming institutions by changing election laws, allowing him to create legislative supermajorities while winning a mere plurality of the vote.

From

The air of prestige and haughty pretension that surrounds even the mere mention of the Cannes Film Festival might not conjure the words “shark movie” in your mind.

From

In this campaign, the Nazis styled themselves as saviors, rather than mere destroyers, of culture.

From

To the point that he dismisses his playing career as mere preparation for what he feels he was born to do - coach.

From

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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 éDz, meaning “part” or “portion.” From this same source, we also get the combining forms -mer and -merous. Want to know more? Check out our 51Թs That Use entries for both forms.

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