adverb
fermē
fermē (superlative)
Classical[ˈfɛr.meː]Ecclesiastical[ˈfɛr.me]
Meaning
- superlativeclosely, quite, entirely, fully, altogether, just
- superlativein general, generally, usually, commonly, for most of the time
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Pæne · Prope · Fere · Ferme
Pæne and prope serve to soften an expression that is much too strong, and as a salvo to an hyperbole; pæne, in opp. to plane, is translated ‘almost;’ prope, ‘nearly;’ whereas fere and ferme serve only as a salvo to the accuracy of an expression, like ‘about.’
fermē, adv., fuller form of fĕrē, q. v.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
fermē adv.
for * ferimē, sup of fere, closely, quite, entirely, fully, altogether, just : iam ferme moriens me vocat, just dying , T.: quod ferme dirum in tempus cecidere Latinae.—Of time, in general, usually, commonly : parentum iniuriae Unius modi sunt ferme, T.: quod ferme evenit: inculta ferme vestiuntur virgultis, L.—Of degree, nearly, almost, well-nigh, about : ferme eadem omnia, quae, etc., T.: pars ferme dimidia, L.: aberat mons ferme milia viginti, S.—With a negative, hardly, scarcely : hoc non ferme sine magnis principum vitiis evenit: nec ferme res antiqua alia est nobilior, L.: ut eo nihil ferme quisquam addere posset.
Origins
From *ferimē, earlier superlative of ferē, from Proto-Italic *feramos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰer- (“to hold”).