This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
rara avis
[ rair-uh-ey-vis; Latin rah-rah ah-wis ]
/ ˈrɛər ə ˈeɪ vɪs; Latin ˈrɑ rɑ ˈɑ wɪs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural ra·rae a·ves [rair-ee ey-veez; Latin rah-rahy ah-wes]. /ˈrɛər i ˈeɪ viz; Latin ˈrɑ raɪ ˈɑ wɛs/.
a rare person or thing; rarity.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Origin of rara avis
First recorded in 1600–10, rara avis is from Latin rāra avis “rare bird”
Words nearby rara avis
raptured, rapture of the deep, rapturous, raptus, RAR, rara avis, rare, rarebit, rare book, rare earth, rare-earth element
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use rara avis in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for rara avis
rara avis
/ (ˈrɛərə ˈeɪvɪs) /
noun plural rarae aves (ˈrɛəriː ˈeɪviːz)
an unusual, uncommon, or exceptional person or thing
Word Origin for rara avis
Latin: rare bird
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012