mere

== English == === Pronunciation === (body of water; limit; famous; just, only): (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /mɪə̯/ (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): /mɪː/, /mɪjə/ (General American) IPA(key): /mɪɚ/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /miə/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /miɾ/, [miːɾ] (General South African) IPA(key): /mjøː/ (Wales, other regions) IPA(key): /mjɜː/ (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /mɛː/ Homophones: mear; mirror (some North American accents); mare (cheer–chair merger) Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ) Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ) (in some varieties of English) (Maori war-club): IPA(key): /ˈmɛɹi/, /ˈmɛɹɛ/ Rhymes: -ɛɹi, -ɛɹɛ === Etymology 1 === From Middle English mere, mer, from Anglo-Norman meer, from Old French mier, from Latin merus (“pure, unmixed, undiluted”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to sparkle, gleam”). Cognate with Old English āmerian, āmyrian (“to purify, examine, revise”). The Middle English word was perhaps influenced by or conflated with sound-alike Middle English mere (“glorious, noble, splendid, fine, pure”), from Old English mǣre (“famous, great, excellent, sublime, splendid, pure, sterling”), from Proto-West Germanic *mārī, from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz. ==== Adjective ==== mere (comparative merer, superlative merest) Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected. [from 16th c.] Synonyms: alone, bare, simple, only, very; see also Thesaurus:mere (obsolete) Pure, unalloyed [8th–17th c.]. Synonyms: immaculate, unadulterated, pristine; see also Thesaurus:pure (obsolete) Nothing less than; complete, downright [15th–18th c.]. Synonyms: absolute, thorough, utter; see also Thesaurus:total ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === From Middle English mere, from Old English mǣre, ġemǣre (“boundary; limit”), from Proto-Germanic *mairiją (“boundary”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to fence”). Cognate with Dutch meer (“a limit, boundary”), Icelandic mærr (“borderland”), Swedish landamäre (“border, borderline, boundary”). ==== Alternative forms ==== meer, meere, mear, meare ==== Noun ==== mere (plural meres) Boundary, limit; a boundary-marker; boundary-line. ===== Derived terms ===== ==== Verb ==== mere (third-person singular simple present meres, present participle mering, simple past and past participle mered) (transitive, obsolete) To limit; bound; divide or cause division in. (intransitive, obsolete) To set divisions and bounds. (cartography) To decide upon the position of a boundary; to position it on a map. ===== Related terms ===== mereing === Etymology 3 === From Middle English mere, from Old English mere (“lake, pool,” in compounds and poetry “sea”), from Proto-West Germanic *mari (“sea”), from Proto-Germanic *mari, from Proto-Indo-European *móri. Cognate with West Frisian mar, 'lake', Dutch meer, 'lake', Low German Meer, and German Meer, 'sea'. Non-Germanic cognates include Latin mare, Breton mor, and Russian мо́ре (móre). Doublet of maar and mare (“a large, dark plain; a lake on Titan”). ==== Alternative forms ==== mar, mear, meer, meere ==== Noun ==== mere (plural meres) (dialectal or literary) A body of standing water, such as a lake or a pond (formerly even a body of seawater), especially a broad, shallow one. (Also included in place names such as Windermere.) ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== === Etymology 4 === See mayor. ==== Noun ==== mere (plural meres) (obsolete) Alternative form of mayor and mair. === Etymology 5 === Borrowed from Māori mere (“more”). ==== Noun ==== mere (plural meres) A Maori war-club. === Anagrams === Emer., meer, erem-, REME, erme, reem, Emer == Afrikaans == === Noun === mere plural of meer == Danish == === Etymology === From Old Danish meræ, from Old Norse meiri (“more”), from Proto-Germanic *maizô. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /meːrə/, [ˈmeːɐ] === Adjective === mere more; to a higher degree more; in greater quantity ==== Usage notes ==== "Mere", in the second sense, is only used with uncountable nouns. For countable nouns, use flere. === Adverb === mere more === References === “mere” in Den Danske Ordbog “mere” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog == Estonian == === Noun === mere genitive singular of meri == Italian == === Adjective === mere f feminine plural of mero === Anagrams === erme == Latin == === Adverb === merē (not comparable) purely, without admixture. merely, no more or less than === Verb === merē second-person singular present active imperative of mereō === References === “mere”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “mere”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. Dictionary of Medieval Latin in British Sources Karl Ernst Georges, Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch (1913/1918; reprinted Darmstadt 1998), vol. 2, column 888 <http://www.zeno.org/nid/20002495945>. == Middle Dutch == === Etymology 1 === From Old Dutch mēro, from Proto-West Germanic *maiʀō. ==== Adjective ==== mêre greater, larger Antonym: minre older Antonym: minre ===== Inflection ===== This adjective needs an inflection-table template. ==== Determiner ==== mêre more Antonym: minre ===== Descendants ===== Dutch: meer Afrikaans: meer ==== Adverb ==== mêre alternative form of mêe === Etymology 2 === From Old Dutch meri, from Proto-West Germanic *mari. ==== Noun ==== mēre f or n lake (fresh water) sea (salt water) ===== Inflection ===== ===== Descendants ===== Dutch: meerAfrikaans: meer Limburgish: maer === Further reading === “mere (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000 “mere (III)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000 Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “mere (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “mere (VIII)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page VIII == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === From Old English mǣre, ġemǣre (“boundary; limit”), from Proto-Germanic *mairiją (“boundary”), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to fence”). ==== Alternative forms ==== mer, merre, mare mær (Early Middle English) ==== Noun ==== mere (plural meres) boundary, border ===== Descendants ===== English: mere ⇒ Yola: pulmere ===== References ===== “mēre, n.(3)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007. === Etymology 2 === From Old English mǣre (“famous, great, excellent”), from Proto-West Germanic *mārī, from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz, *mēraz (“excellent, famous”), from Proto-Indo-European *mēros (“large, handsome”). Cognate with Middle High German mære (“famous”), Icelandic mærr (“famous”), and German Mär, Märchen (“fairy tale”). ==== Alternative forms ==== mer, mære, mare, meare ==== Adjective ==== mere (of God or Saints) glorious, renowned. (of persons) illustrious, noble, great. beautiful, fair. splendid, fine, good. === Etymology 3 === ==== Noun ==== mere alternative form of mare (“horse, mare”) === Etymology 4 === ==== Noun ==== mere alternative form of mare (“spirit”) === Etymology 5 === ==== Verb ==== mere (Cheshire) alternative form of merren == Middle French == === Etymology === From Old French mere medre, from Latin māter, mātrem. === Noun === mere f (plural meres) mother (female family member) ==== Descendants ==== French: mèreHaitian Creole: mè == Old English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈme.re/ Rhymes: -e.re === Etymology 1 === From Proto-West Germanic *mari (“sea, lake”). ==== Noun ==== mere m lake pool (poetic or in compounds) sea ===== Declension ===== Strong i-stem: ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== Middle English: mere English: mere Scots: mere ===== See also ===== ēa (“river”) gārseċġ (“ocean”) sǣ (“sea”) strēam (“stream”) === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== mere f a mare (female horse) a female camel Wonders of the East ===== Declension ===== Weak n-stem: ===== Related terms ===== mearh === Etymology 3 === ==== Verb ==== mere (Anglian) singular imperative of merran == Old French == === Alternative forms === medre === Etymology === From earlier medre, from Latin māter, mātrem. === Noun === mere oblique singular, f (oblique plural meres, nominative singular mere, nominative plural meres) mother (female family member) ==== Descendants ==== Bourguignon: meire Middle French: mereFrench: mèreHaitian Creole: mè Norman: mère, méthe Walloon: mere == Polish == === Etymology === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) === Pronunciation === (Lesser Poland): (Eastern Kraków) IPA(key): [ˈmɛ.rɛ] === Adverb === mere (not comparable) (Eastern Kraków) synonym of całkiem (Eastern Kraków) synonym of podobnie === Further reading === Błażej Pawłowicz (1892), “mere”, in “Wyrazy gwarowe z okolic Tarnowa”, in Prace Filologiczne‎[2] (in Polish), volume 4, z. 1, Warsaw: skł. gł. w Księgarni E. Wende i Ska, page 307 == Romanian == === Alternative forms === мере (mere) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling === Etymology 1 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈme.re/ Rhymes: -ere Hyphenation: me‧re ==== Noun ==== mere n pl indefinite plural of măr (“apple”) === Etymology 2 === ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /ˈme.re/ (Transylvania) IPA(key): [ˈmɛ.re] ==== Verb ==== a mere (third-person singular present mere, past participle mers, third-person subjunctive meară or meargă) 3rd conjugation (Transylvania, Banat, Crișana) alternative form of merge (“to walk; to go; to function”) ===== Conjugation ===== Some speakers might combine some of the forms with the -g- still pronounced into this variant. As such, if in a cell there are 2 forms, the first one is the way this verb would normally be conjugated, and the 2nd form is what is more common in usage. This does cause it, however, to become irregular. The gerund form, merând, is rarely, if ever, said, and as such isn’t listed. ==== See also ==== merge === Further reading === “mere”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026 == Sardinian == === Alternative forms === meri (Campidanese) === Etymology === From the nominative of Latin maior (“greater, elder”), via intermediate forms like *maire, *meire. For final /-or/ > /-re/, cf. Sardinian sorre, from Latin soror (“sister”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmere/ === Noun === mere m (plural meres) (Logudorese) owner, master === References === Wagner, Max Leopold (1960–1964), “mère”, in Dizionario etimologico sardo, Heidelberg == Serbo-Croatian == === Verb === mere (Cyrillic spelling мере) third-person plural present of meriti == Spanish == === Adverb === mere (archaic) merely Synonym: meramente === Verb === mere inflection of merer: third-person singular present indicative second-person singular imperative === Further reading === “mere”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025