mere Hear it!

mere¹ Definition

mere (mir)

adjective mer·est

  1. nothing more or other than; only (as said to be) a mere boy
  2. Obsolete unmixed; pure
  3. Obsolete absolute; downright

Etymology: ME < L merus, unmixed, pure < IE base *mer-, to sparkle > morning, OE amerian, to purify

mere² Definition

mere (mir)

noun

  1. Old Poet. a lake or pond
  2. Brit., Dialectal a marsh
  3. Obsolete
    1. the sea
    2. an arm of the sea

Etymology: ME < OE: see mare

mere³ Definition

mere (mir)

noun

Chiefly Brit., Now Dial. a boundary

Etymology: ME < OE (ge)mære < IE base *mei-, to secure, a post, wooden wall > L murus, wall

mere Synonyms

mere

modif.

mere Usage Examples

Converse of object

fluctuate: Two of these sites are fluctuating meres while the third is a man-made pond.

Modifies a noun

  • mortal: Pity us mere mortals that have to rely on public transport!
  • coincidence: Its traditional identification as Camelot could hardly be a mere coincidence; here, surely, is the site of King Arthur's court.
  • handful: Maybe no more than a mere handful of times each day in Google.
  • formality: That signature process should have been a mere formality.
  • existence: The mere existence of earlier registrations which you may feel are analogous to your case actually proves nothing.
  • fact: However, the mere facts of history never really mattered to Voltaire.

Modifying Another Word

  • not: They are not mere statistics; they are real people, sick people.
  • now: All their dreams of their children achieving a status in society that was denied to the parents are now mere memories.
  • n't: But the price for you was n't mere gold or silver.
  • never: However, the Word is never mere letters on a page, which is what it has been reduced to by many Protestants.
  • about: It should not be about mere attention to rank.
  • indeed: Now Higgs has codified the modern thinking that executives are indeed mere managers and boards should comprise a majority of non-executives.