-mere

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

-mere combining_form:in_noun:countable

1. indicating a part or division

Etymology: from Greek meros part, portion

-meric combining_form:in_adjective

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

mere¹ /mɪr/   adj. [before a noun] ,[superlative]   mer•est. 

1. being nothing more than what is specified;
   minor or unimportant:
   A mere child couldn't defeat him.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mere¹  (mēr), adj., [superl.] mer•est. 

1. being nothing more nor better than:
   a mere pittance; He is still a mere child.
2. [Obs.]
   • pure and unmixed, as wine, a people, or a language.
   • fully as much as what is specified;
     completely fulfilled or developed;
     absolute.

• Latin merus pure, unmixed, mere
• Middle English 1250–1300

Synonyms

• 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.

mere²  (mēr), n. 

1. British Terms [Chiefly Brit. Dial.] a lake or pond.
2. British Terms [Obs.] any body of sea water.

• bef. 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with German Meer, Old Norse marr, Gothic marei, Old Irish muir, Latin mare

mere³  (mēr), n. [Brit. Dial.]

1. British Terms a boundary or boundary marker.

Also, mear. 

• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English (ge)mǣre; cognate with Old Norse mǣri; akin to Latin mūrus wall, rim

mère  (mer; Eng. mâr), n., pl. mères (mer; Eng. mârz). [French.]

1. Foreign Terms mother.

-mere, 

1. a combining form meaning "part,'' used in the formation of compound words:
   blastomere.
   Cf. -mer, -merous. 

• combining form representing Greek méros