I.approximately, closely, in two senses.
I. With the idea of approach predominant, nearly, almost, well-nigh, within a little, for the most part, about (esp. with words of number, quantity, multitude; cf.: plerumque, vulgo).
a. Form fere: “fere sexennis,” Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 80: “abhinc menses decem fere,” Ter. Hec. 5, 3, 24; cf.: “fere abhinc annos quindecim,” id. Phorm. 5, 8, 28: “fere in diebus paucis, quibus haec acta sunt, Chrysis vicina haec moritur,” soon, only a few days after, id. And. 1, 1, 77: “quinta fere hora,” about the fifth hour, Cic. Pis. 6, 13: “hora fere tertia,” id. Att. 14, 20, 1: “tertia fere vigilia,” Caes. B. G. 4, 23, 1: “sexcentos fere annos,” Cic. Rep. 1, 48: “sexto decimo fere anno,” id. ib. 2, 33: “anno fere ante, quam consul est declaratus,” id. ib. 1, 5: “anno fere centesimo et quadragesimo post mortem Numae,” id. ib. 2, 15; cf.: “anno trecentesimo et quinquagesimo fere post Romam conditam,” id. ib. 1, 16: “decem fere annis post primos consules,” id. ib. 2, 32; cf. “also: decessit fere post annum quartum quam, etc.,” Nep. Arist. 3 fin.: “meus fere aequalis,” Cic. Brut. 48, 179; cf. id. Off. 3, 1, 1: “ipsa Peloponnesus fere tota in mari est,” id. Rep. 2, 4, 8; cf.: “totius fere Galliae legati ad Caesarem gratulatum convenerunt,” Caes. B. G. 1, 30, 1: “totis fere a fronte et ab sinistra parte nudatis castris,” id. ib. 2, 23, 4: “rerum omnium fere modus,” Cic. Rep. 6, 18; cf.: “quam fere omnium constans et moderata ratio vitae,” id. Clu. 16, 46: “ex omnibus fere partibus,” Caes. B. G. 7, 19: “in reliquis fere rebus,” id. ib. 6, 13, 3: “omnes fere,” Cic. Fam. 6, 10, 3; Caes. B. G. 2, 25, 1; 4, 20, 1; Nep. Arist. 2, 3; id. Chabr. 3, 4; Liv. 21, 60, 9; Suet. Caes. 87; “and in the order fere omnes,” Caes. B. G. 5, 13, 1; 5, 23, 4: “cujus disputationis fuit extremum fere de immortalitate animorum,” Cic. Lael. 4, 14; cf.: Phalereus ille Demetrius ultimus est fere ex Atticis. Quint. 10, 1, 80: cum fere e regione castris castra poneret, Caes. B. G. 7, 35, 1; id. ib. 3, 12, 1: “plus fere,” Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 45: “semper fere,” Cic. de Or. 2, 6, 22: “satis fere diximus,” id. Off. 1, 18, 60: “tantum fere,” almost only, id. Rep. 2, 18 fin.: “Lycurgus eadem vidit fere,” id. ib. 2, 23: “haec fere,” id. ib. 1, 34 fin.; cf.: “hoc fere ab reliquis differunt, quod,” in this chiefly, Caes. B. G. 6, 18, 3: “haec fere dicere habui,” Cic. N. D. 3, 39, 93: “haec erant fere, quae, etc.,” id. Fam. 12, 5 fin.; 12, 30 fin.; id. Att. 2, 16, 1; id. Or. 54, 182; id. Ac. 2, 32, 102: “exposui fere non philosophorum judicia, sed, etc.,” id. N. D. 1, 16, 42; cf.: “sic fere componendum, quomodo pronuntiandum erit,” Quint. 9, 4, 138: “fere eodem pacto, quo,” Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 10: “et fere apparet, quid in invidiam, etc. ... dicendum sit,” Quint. 5, 12, 16.—
b. Form ferme: “hoc factum est ferme abhinc biennium,” Plaut. Bacch. 3, 2, 4; so, “abhinc annos ferme L.,” Vell. 2, 90 fin.: “nam ferme ante annos DCCCCL. floruit,” id. 1, 5, 3: “intra XII. ferme annos,” id. 2, 11 fin.: “duodequadragesimo ferme anno, ex quo regnare coeperat Tarquinius,” Liv. 1, 40: “mille ferme delecti propugnatores onerariis imponuntur,” id. 30, 10; cf.: “pars ferme dimidia,” id. 42, 51: “a quo (flumine) aberat mons ferme milia viginti,” Sall. J. 48, 3; cf.: “in tumulo quatuor ferme milia distante ab castris regiis consedit,” Liv. 30, 8: “abest ab Carthagine quindecim milia ferme passuum locus,” id. 30, 9: “ferme eadem omnia, quae, etc.,” Ter. Phorm. 5, 7, 21: “cum ferme cunctos proceres cum honore nominavisset,” Tac. A. 3, 76: “mihi quidem aetas acta est ferme,” for the most part, about, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 38.
II. With the idea of nearness or closeness predominant, quite, entirely, just.
a. Form fere: “domum revortor maestus atque animo fere conturbato,” quite distracted, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 69: “quod statuas quoque videmus ornatu fere militari,” quite military, Cic. Off. 1, 18, 61: “paria esse fere peccata,” quite equal, Hor. S. 1, 3, 96: “etsi nobis, qui id aetatis sumus, evigilatum fere est, tamen, etc.,” entirely, sufficiently, Cic. Rep. 3, 29: “cum circa hanc fere consultationem disceptatio omnis verteretur,” just on this debated point, Liv. 36, 7, 1: jamque fere, just now, Enn. ap. Non. 217, 11; and ap. Charis. p. 114 P. (Ann. v. 286 and 580 ed. Vahl.); Verg. A. 3, 135; 5, 327; 835; cf.: jam fere, Enn. ap. Non. 355, 17 (Trag. v. 201 ed. Vahl.); and: jam ... fere, id. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 46 Müll. (Ann. v. 447 ed. Vahl.): “sermo qui tum fere multis erat in ore,” just then, Cic. Lael. 1, 2.—
b. Form ferme: circumvenire video ferme injuria, altogether wrong, Naev. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 92 Müll. (Rib. Trag. Fragm. p. 12); cf.: ferme aderant ratibus, just, Enn. ib. § 23 Müll. (Ann. v. 602 ed. Vahl.); so, quod ferme dirum in tempus cecidere Latinae, Cic. Poët. Div. 1, 11, 18; and: “sed eum constabat virum esse ferme bonum,” Gell. 14, 2, 5: “ferme ut quisque rem accurat suam, Sic ei procedunt post principia denique,” Plaut. Pers. 4, 1, 4; so, “ferme ut pueri,” Ter. Hec. 3, 1, 32: “jam ferme moriens me vocat,” just dying, id. And. 1, 5, 49.—
B. In partic.
1. With negatives, scarcely, hardly.
a. (= vix, non facile.) Form fere: “nihil aut non fere multum differre,” Cic. Brut. 40, 150: “nemo fere saltat sobrius,” id. Mur. 6; id. de Or. 1, 25, 116: “nihil fere intelligit,” id. Off. 3, 3, 15: “non fere labitur,” id. Fin. 1, 6, 18: “quod non fere ante auctumnum Elaver vado transiri solet,” Caes. B. G. 7, 35, 1: “duo spondei non fere jungi patiuntur,” Quint. 9, 4, 101: “in se dicere non est fere nisi scurrarum,” id. 6, 3, 82: “denique ex bellica victoria non fere quemquam est invidia civium consecuta,” hardly any one, Cic. Sest. 23, 51: “rationem sententiae suae non fere reddere,” id. Tusc. 1, 17, 38: “nec adhuc fere inveni, qui, etc.,” id. Att. 7, 6, 1; cf.: “quod non fere contingit, nisi, etc.,” id. Lael. 20, 72: “nec rei fere sane amplius quicquam fuit,” Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 3: “in qua (disputatione) nihil fere, quod magno opere ad rationes omnium rerum pertineret, praetermissum puto,” Cic. Rep. 1, 8 fin.: tum est Cato locutus; “quo erat nemo fere senior temporibus illis, nemo prudentior,” id. Lael. 1, 5: “dixit, hunc ne in convivio quidem ullo fere interfuisse,” id. Rosc. Am. 14: “neque ullum fere totius hiemis tempus sine sollicitudine Caesaris intercessit,” Caes. B. G. 5, 53, 5: neque enim fere iam est ullus dies occupatus, ut nihil, etc., Quint. 10, 7, 27.—With a neg. interrog.: “nam quid fere undique placet?” Quint. 1, 2, 15.—
b. Form ferme: “hoc non ferme sine magnis principum vitiis evenit,” Cic. Rep. 1, 45 fin.; id. Tusc. 5, 38, 111: “quod non ferme decernitur, nisi, etc.,” Liv. 22, 9, 8; 24, 25, 9: “voluptatibus erant inferiores, nec pecuniis ferme superiores,” Cic. Rep. 2, 34 fin.; so, “nec ferme res antiqua alia est nobilior,” Liv. 1, 24: “facio, quod manifesto moechi haud ferme solent,” Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 40; so Ter. And. 3, 1, 2: “haud ferme,” Liv. 21, 7, 9; 27, 28, 14: “ut eo nihil ferme quisquam addere posset,” Cic. Brut. 43, 161: “quia nemo ferme huc sine damno devortitur,” Plaut. Men. 2, 1, 39: “non ferme facilius aliquid tenere,” Cic. Rep. 2, 5 fin.; 1, 45, 69.—
2. Of time (in the usual course of things; opp. to sometimes, now and then), in general, generally, usually, commonly.
a. Form fere: “Fit fere, ut, etc.,” Cic. Rep. 6, 10; cf.: “jam hoc fere sic fieri solere accepimus,” id. de Imp. Pomp. 9, 24: “quod fere solet fieri,” id. Inv. 1, 29, 46; cf. “also: ut fere fit,” id. ib. 2, 4, 14: “nam fere maxima pars morem hunc homines habent,” Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 36: “quod fere libenter homines id, quod volunt, credunt,” Caes. B. G. 3, 18, 6: “aedificio circumdato silva (ut sunt fere domicilia Gallorum, etc.),” id. ib. 6, 30, 3: “ruri fere se continebat,” Ter. Ph. 2, 3, 16: “nam fere non difficile est invenire, quid, etc.,” Auct. Her. 2, 18, 27: “in eum fere est voluntas nostra propensior,” Cic. Off. 2, 20, 69: “sic omnia nimia in contraria fere convertuntur,” id. Rep. 1, 44: “quod in illis singuli fuissent fere, qui, etc.,” id. ib. 2, 1: “nominatim fere referri, quid, etc.,” id. de Or. 2, 33, 142: “nigra fere terra,” commonly black, Verg. G. 2, 203: “qui timet his adversa, fere miratur eodem quo cupiens pacto,” Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 9.—Strengthened by plerumque or plerique: “hic solebamus fere Plerumque eam operiri,” Ter. Ph. 1, 2, 39; cf. “corresp. to plerumque: fortuna eos plerumque efficit caecos, quos complexa est: itaque efferuntur fere fastidio et contumacia,” Cic. Lael. 15, 54: “adducto fere vultu, plerumque tacitus,” Suet. Tib. 68: “non sunt vitiosiores, quam fere plerique, qui avari avaros ... reprehendunt,” Cic. Tusc. 3, 30, 73.—Opp. raro, interdum, saepe: “fere praedicta aetas laeto solo truncoque tres materias, raro quatuor desiderat,” Col. 4, 17, 5; cf.: “fereque id in capillo fit, rarius in barba,” Cels. 6, 2: “ipse Circenses ex amicorum fere libertinorumque cenaculis spectabat, interdum e pulvinari,” Suet. Aug. 15: “in consulatu pedibus fere, extra consulatum saepe adaperta sella per publicum incessit,” id. ib. 53.—
b. Form ferme: “quod ferme evenit,” Cic. Rep. 1, 42: “nam ferme apud Numidas in omnibus proeliis magis pedes quam arma tuta sunt,” Sall. J. 74 fin.: “inculta ferme vestiuntur virgultis vepribusque,” Liv. 21, 54: “intacta invidia media sunt: ad summa ferme tendit,” id. 45, 35; cf.: “mobilis et varia est ferme natura malorum,” Juv. 13, 236: “ceterum parva quoque (ut ferme principia omnia),” Liv. 7, 2: “ut ferme ad nova imperia,” Tac. A. 2, 2: “quae antea dictatorum et consulum ferme fuerant beneficia,” Liv. 9, 30, 3: “nocte ferme proficiscebantur,” id. 34, 13, 3.
