"merest" in the adjective sense
1. mere
being nothing more than specified
"a mere child"
2. bare, mere, simple
apart from anything else without additions or modifications
"only the bare facts"
"shocked by the mere idea"
"the simple passage of time was enough"
"the simple truth"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License