Translation
almost; generally
Examples
.
Almost everyone came.
.
We think much the same.
.
This nearly always happens.
discessit.
He left at about the third hour.
.
Almost nobody believes this.
is a softener. Next to an absolute word or a number it takes the edge off: "almost all", "hardly anyone", "at about the third hour". Next to a statement of habit it means "as a rule, generally", which is the same hedging move applied to frequency rather than quantity.
Two points of usage. It normally FOLLOWS the word it qualifies, unlike English "almost", so rather than , though both occur. And it overlaps with , which also does "almost": is the blunter of the two and keeps its literal sense of nearness alongside. The older, stronger form ferme means "very nearly indeed" and turns up in Plautus and Livy.
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fere: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "fere" (almost; generally): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 4.