Does さえ mean "even" in the following sentence?


I encountered the following in our daily reading.

> どのような企業{きぎょう}も、創業期{そうぎょうき}には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ** 忘れてしまうほど、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
> In a business, a person was so busy that he forgot to eat lunch **even**
> lunch. (Not sure if translation is correct.)

From what my friend explained, the さえ means "even" or similar to ほど. Using a
similar sentence he explained that さえ was only.

> 私はお酒 **さえ** あれば、幸せです。
>
> _Even_ if I have I only have sake, I am happy.

How is さえ used? I think it is synonymous with ほど.




`さえ` is similar to `も` for many cases. It means "even".

> どのような企業も1、創業期には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ 2**忘れてしまうほど3、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
>   * Even(も1) for any enterprise in its establishment period all the workers
> are so busy in full operation to the extent(ほど3) that they will forget
> even(さえ2) to have lunch.
>

However there is a special thing that `さえ` does when used with a conditional
clause. When in a conditional clause it expresses "If only", "as long as".

> 私はお酒 **さえ** あれば、幸せです。
>
>   * If only I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>   * As long as I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>

>
> Do note that さえ with a conditional clause happens most with ば-conditional,
> and less frequently with たら-conditional and なら-conditional, and never with
> と-conditional.




`さえ` is similar to `も` for many cases. It means "even".

> どのような企業も1、創業期には全社員が昼食をとること **さえ 2**忘れてしまうほど3、忙しくフル回転していたものです。
>
>   * Even(も1) for any enterprise in its establishment period all the workers
> are so busy in full operation to the extent(ほど3) that they will forget
> even(さえ2) to have lunch.
>

However there is a special thing that `さえ` does when used with a conditional
clause. When in a conditional clause it expresses "If only", "as long as".

> 私はお酒 **さえ** あれば、幸せです。
>
>   * If only I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>   * As long as I have _sake_ , I am happy.
>
>

>
> Do note that さえ with a conditional clause happens most with ば-conditional,
> and less frequently with たら-conditional and なら-conditional, and never with
> と-conditional.

