Being nothing more than what is specified; used to emphasize how small or insignificant something is.
From Old English 'mere' meaning 'pure, unmixed,' derived from Latin 'merus' meaning 'undiluted, pure.' The modern sense of 'nothing but' developed in Middle English as the word shifted from describing purity to emphasizing limitation or smallness.
The word 'mere' is a linguistic chameleon that completely flipped its meaning over centuries - it went from meaning 'pure and complete' to meaning 'only and limited.' This semantic reversal shows how words can develop almost opposite meanings through the process of speakers using them for emphasis.
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