mere

Meaning

Adj

1. Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
2. (obsolete) Pure, unalloyed .
3. (obsolete) Nothing less than; complete, downright .

Noun

Boundary, limit; a boundary-marker; boundary-line.

Verb

1. (obsolete) To limit; bound; divide or cause division in.
2. (obsolete) To set divisions and bounds.
3. To decide upon the position of a boundary; to position it on a map.

Noun

A body of standing water, such as a lake or a pond. More specifically, it can refer to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth. Also included in place names such as Windermere.

Noun

Alternative form of mayor and mair.

Noun

A Maori war-club.

Concepts

mere

only

simple

pure

just

lake

sheer

loch

plain

common

sole

bare

pool

absolute

pond

nothing but

empty

merely

clean

solitary

stark

straightforward

unpretentious

untainted

undiluted

usual

implies activity unsuited to

insignificant

minor

small

very

downright

marsh

fen

folksy

homely

touchable

unceremonious

unstudied

simply

solely

although

unsophisticated

vacant

void

unmixed

pointless

useless

vain

arrant

main

mete

sea

alone

lonely

chaste

unadulterated

uncontaminated

rudimentary

uncomplicated

normal

ordinary

inconsequent

jerkwater

meaningless

minuscule

naught

peddling

unvalued

Pronounced as (IPA)

/mɪə̯/

Etymology

table
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.