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mĕrus , a, um, adj. root mar-, to gleam; cf.: μάρμαρος, marmor, mare; hence, bright, pure,
I.pure, unmixed, unadulterated, esp. of wine not mixed with water: merum antiqui dicebant solum: at nunc merum purum appellamus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 124 Müll.
I. Lit.: vinum merum, Varr. ap. Non. 4, 295: “vina,Ov. M. 15, 331.—Of other things: “argentum merum,Plaut. As. 1, 3, 3: “undae,Ov. M. 15, 323: “lac,id. F. 4, 369: “gustus,Col. 3, 21: “claror,clear, unclouded, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 111: “mero meridie,Petr. 37.—Hence,
2. Subst.: mĕrum , i, n., pure, unmixed wine, wine not mixed with water (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “ingurgitare se in merum,Plaut. Curc. 1, 2, 35; Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 11; id. C. 1, 36, 13: “objecturus Antonio Cicero merum et vomitum,Quint. 8, 4, 16: “meri veteris torrens,Juv. 6, 319; 3, 283; Val. Fl. 5, 595: “ad merum pronior,Plin. 14, 22, 28, § 145; 23, 1, 23, § 43.—
B. Transf.
1. Bare, naked, uncovered (poet.): “pes,Juv. 6, 158: stabat calce merā, Prud. στεφ. 6, 91.—
2. In gen., bare, nothing but, only, mere (class.): “meri bellatores gignuntur,Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 85: “in medio (foro) ostentatores meri (ambulant),id. Curc. 4, 1, 15: Diogenem postea pallium solum habuisse, et habere Ulixem meram tunicam, nothing but, only, Varr. ap. Non. 344, 10: “nihil, nisi spem meram,Ter. Phorm. 1, 2, 95: “mera monstra nuntiare,Cic. Att. 4, 7, 1: “proscriptiones, meri Sullae,id. ib. 9, 11, 3: “scelera loquuntur,id. ib. 9, 13, 1: “bellum,id. ib. 9, 13, 8: “nugae,id. ib. 6, 3, 5: “adfectus,Quint. 11, 1, 52.—
II. Trop., pure, true, real, genuine, unadulterated: “meri principes,Cic. de Or. 2, 22, 94: velut ex diutinā siti nimis avide meram haurientes libertatem, immoderate, excessive, Liv. 39, 26; cf. Cic. Rep. 1, 43, 66; but mera libertas, in Horace, signifies true, genuine freedom, Hor. Ep. 1, 18, 8: “Achaia, illa vera et mera Graecia,Plin. Ep. 8, 24, 2: “Cecropis,a real Athenian, Juv. 6, 187.—Hence, adv.: mĕrē , purely, without mixture, wholly, entirely (ante-class. and post-Aug.): “si semel amoris poculum accepit mere,Plaut. Truc. 1, 1, 22.
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