purement

purely

adverb pür-MAHN Rare

Also means

simply

Usage Note

Purement often appears in the fixed phrase purement et simplement meaning 'purely and simply' or 'outright', which is a very common intensifier in French prose and speech. On its own it emphasises that something is done without any admixture — un acte purement symbolique (a purely symbolic act).

Examples

"C'est purement symbolique."

Natural Translation

It is purely symbolic.

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