2148: 'merely vs. 'only' Nov 1, 2020

The difference between 'mere' and 'only' is qualitative, with both referring solely to what is specified, but 'mere' exerts a judgement that it can be no better than that, at best. In the past however, it referred to purity, coming from the Latin 'merus' meaning ‘undiluted’. The sense of lacking contamination has technically remained, though these days people would likely opt for 'exclusively' in order to convey (merely) high quality, which is no longer possible with 'mere'.