mere

mere
{{11}}mere (adj.) c.1400, "unmixed, pure," from O.Fr. mier "pure" (of gold), "entire, total, complete," and directly from L. merus "unmixed" (of wine), "pure; bare, naked;" figuratively "true, real, genuine," probably originally "clear, bright," from PIE *mer- "to gleam, glimmer, sparkle" (Cf. O.E. amerian "to purify," O.Ir. emer "not clear," Skt. maricih "ray, beam," Gk. marmarein "to gleam, glimmer"). Original sense of "nothing less than, absolute" (mid-15c., now only in vestiges such as mere folly) existed for centuries alongside opposite sense of "nothing more than" (1580s, e.g. a mere dream).
{{12}}mere (n.) O.E. mere "sea, ocean; lake, pool, pond, cistern," from P.Gmc. *mari (Cf. O.N. marr, O.S. meri "sea," M.Du. maer, Du. meer "lake, sea, pool," O.H.G. mari, Ger. Meer "sea," Goth. marei "sea," mari-saiws "lake"), from PIE *mori- "sea" (Cf. L. mare, O.C.S. morje, Rus. more, Lith. mares, O.Ir. muir, Welsh mor "sea," Gaulish Are-morici "people living near the sea").

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • mère — mère …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • mère — 1. (mè r ; Chiflet, Gramm. p. 190, au XVIIe siècle, dit qu on prononce mére) s. f. 1°   Femme qui a mis un enfant au monde. •   Que ne peut point un fils sur le coeur d une mère !, CORN. Rodog. IV, 4. •   Comme un enfant que sa mère arrache d… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Mere — Mere …   Wikipédia en Français

  • mere — mere·ly; mere·stone; meso·mere; meta·mere; mi·cro·mere; my·e·lo·mere; my·o·mere; neph·ro·mere; neu·ro·mere; opis·tho·mere; par·a·mere; phal·lo·mere; plas·to·mere; pod·o·mere; pros·tho·mere; rhab·do·mere; sar·co·mere; scle·ro·mere; tar·so·mere;… …   English syllables

  • mere — Mere, f. penac. Est celle qui nous a conceuz et enfantez, Mater, Genitrix. La mere de ma femme, Ma belle mere, Socrus. La mere grand de ma femme, Maior socrus. Ma mere grand, Auia. La mere grand de nostre pere grand, ou mere grand, Abauia. Je… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • Mere — may refer to: Mere (lake), a lake that is broad in relation to its depth Mere (weapon), a Māori war club Mere (live album) by Norwegian rock band deLillos Ain Ervin Mere (1903–1969), Estonian war criminal Places Mere, Cheshire, England Mere,… …   Wikipedia

  • -mère — ♦ Élément, du gr. meros « partie » : centromère, métamère, polymère. mère, mérie, méro . éléments, du grec meros, partie . I. ⇒ MÈRE1, MÉRIE1, élém. formant I. mère, élém. tiré du gr. , de «partie», entrant dans la constr. de mots sav.,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • MÉRÉ (A. de) — MÉRÉ ANTOINE GOMBAUD chevalier de (1607 1684) Il y a aujourd’hui trois facettes du personnage d’Antoine Gombaud, chevalier de Méré, qui méritent de retenir l’attention: l’«honnête homme», l’interlocuteur de Pascal, l’écrivain. Il est certain que …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Mere — (m[=e]r), a. [Superl. {Merest}. The comparative is rarely or never used.] [L. merus.] 1. Unmixed; pure; entire; absolute; unqualified. [1913 Webster] Then entered they the mere, main sea. Chapman. [1913 Webster] The sorrows of this world would be …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Meré —   Parish   Country Spain Autonomous community Asturias Province Asturias Municipality …   Wikipedia

  • Mere — (m[=e]r), n. [Written also mar.] [OE. mere, AS. mere mere, sea; akin to D. meer lake, OS. meri sea, OHG. meri, mari, G. meer, Icel. marr, Goth. marei, Russ. more, W. mor, Ir. & Gael. muir, L. mare, and perh. to L. mori to die, and meaning… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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