-mer

¹

Chemistry.

1. a combining form meaning “member of a particular group”:

   isomer.

mer.

²

abbreviation for

1. meridian.
2. meridional.

mer.

¹

abbreviation for

1. meridian

-mer

²

suffix forming nouns

1. chem denoting a substance of a particular class

   monomer

   polymer

Word History and Origins

Origin of -mer¹

From the Greek word méros part, portion

Word History and Origins

Origin of -mer¹

from Greek meros part

Example Sentences

These will be international commemorations and Prince William will go to a ceremony at Omaha Beach, Saint Laurent sur Mer, which is expected to be attended by 25 heads of state.

From BBC

Caymus Vineyards, whose cabernet is a frequent favorite of Wine Spectator, and owner Charles J. “Chuck” Wagner are listed in the records request, as are Wagner’s son, Charlie Wagner, and his vineyard, Mer Soleil.

From Los Angeles Times

Brand logos that either are Bodoni or owe a serious debt to it include Valentino, La Mer, Calvin Klein and Brookstone.

From New York Times

The company, whose brands include Clinique and La Mer, said it expects to take restructuring and other charges of between $500 million and $700 million, before taxes, consisting of employee-related costs, contract terminations, asset write-offs and other costs associated with implementing the initiative.

From Seattle Times

“Seawater is not easy to drink,” says Bathie Gaye, a 31-year-old survivor from Diogo Sur Mer in Senegal.

From Seattle Times

Words That Use -mer

What does -mer mean?

The combining form -mer is used like a suffix to mean “part,” specifically in reference to portions of molecules. It is often used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry.

The form -mer comes from Greek méros, meaning “part, portion.” From this same source, we also get the combining forms -mere and -merous.

Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for both forms.

Examples of -mer

An example of a word that features -mer is polymer, “a compound derived by the addition of many smaller molecules or by the condensation of many smaller molecules.” Polymer comes from Greek polymerḗs, which uses the equivalent form of -mer.

The first part of the word, poly-, is a combining form meaning “much, many.” The second part, -mer, means “part.” Polymer literally translates to “having many parts.”

What are some words that use the combining form -mer?

• hexamer
• ionomer
• isomer
• metamer
• monomer
• octamer

Break it down!

The combining form mono- means “single” or “one.” With this in mind, what does the term monomer literally mean?