In the 16th century, Turkish women could divorce their husbands if the man failed to keep his family’s pot filled with coffee.
MERE
mere
(adjective) being nothing more than specified; “a mere child”
mere, bare(a), simple
(adjective) apart from anything else; without additions or modifications; “only the bare facts”; “shocked by the mere idea”; “the simple passage of time was enough”; “the simple truth”
mere
(noun) a small pond of standing water
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
mere (plural meres)
(dialectal or literary) 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.
Etymology 2
Noun
mere (plural meres)
Boundary, limit; a boundary-marker; boundary-line.
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.
Etymology 3
Adjective
mere (comparative more mere, superlative most mere)
(obsolete) Famous.
Etymology 4
Adjective
mere (comparative merer, superlative merest)
(obsolete) Pure, unalloyed [8th-17thc.].
(obsolete) Nothing less than; complete, downright [15th-18thc.].
Just, only; no more than [from 16thc.], pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
Etymology 5
Noun
mere (plural meres)
A Maori war-club.
Anagrams
• Emer., REME, erme, meer, reem
Proper noun
Mere
A village in northern Cheshire, England.
A small town in southern Wiltshire, England.
a sub-municipality in East Flanders, Belgium.
Anagrams
• Emer., REME, erme, meer, reem
Source: Wiktionary
-mere. Etym: [Gr.
Definition: A combining form meaning part, portion; as, blastomere, epimere.
Mere, n. Etym: [Written also mar.] Etym: [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 originally, that which is dead, a waste. Cf. Mortal, Marine, Marsh, Mermaid, Moor.]
Definition: A pool or lake. Drayton. Tennyson.
Mere, n. Etym: [Written also meer and mear.] Etym: [AS. gemære. sq. root269.]
Definition: A boundary. Bacon.
Mere, v. t.
Definition: To divide, limit, or bound. [Obs.] Which meared her rule with Africa. Spenser.
Mere, n.
Definition: A mare. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Mere, a. [Superl. Merest. The comparative is rarely or never used.] Etym: [L. merus.]
1. Unmixed; pure; entire; absolute; unqualified. Then entered they the mere, main sea. Chapman. The sorrows of this world would be mere and unmixed. Jer. Taylor.
2. Only this, and nothing else; such, and no more; simple; bare; as, a mere boy; a mere form. From mere success nothing can be concluded in favor of any nation. Atterbury.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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