*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -mere

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *(s)méros Proto-Hellenic *(h)méros Ancient Greek μέρος (méros)der. English -mere Derived from Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming nouns with the sense of part, segment

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *(s)méros Proto-Hellenic *(h)méros Ancient Greek μέρος (méros)der. English -mere Derived from Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:μέρος<t:part>",
        "id": "part",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *(s)mer-\nProto-Indo-European *-os\nProto-Indo-European *(s)méros\nProto-Hellenic *(h)méros\nAncient Greek μέρος (méros)der.\nEnglish -mere\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"part\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"allot\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*(s)mer-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"athematic\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-os\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*(s)méros\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*(h)méros\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"μέρος\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-mere\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"part\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-mere\" id=\"English:_part\">\nDerived from Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”)."
    },
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*(s)mer-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)mer-#Proto-Indo-European:_allot"
    ],
    [
      "*-os",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-os#Proto-Indo-European:_athematic"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)méros",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)méros"
    ],
    [
      "*(h)méros",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/(h)méros"
    ],
    [
      "μέρος",
      "μέρος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "μέρος",
      "μέρος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "Forming nouns with the sense of part, segment"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
suffix

A lakeside settlement; combining form of mere.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Identical with moor.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "moor",
      "moor#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "A lakeside settlement; combining form of mere."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -mere →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LW1lcmU