rara avis
[rair-uh ey-vis; Latin rah-rah ah-wis]
- a rare person or thing; rarity.
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Origin of rara avis
First recorded in 1600–10, rara avis is from the Latin word rāra avis rare bird
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
paradoxcircumstancesensationexperiencerealityincidentmiracleaspectepisodeanomalyeventfactphenomenonodditycuriosityspectaclemarvelstunnerexceptionabnormalityrara avis
- an unusual, uncommon, or exceptional person or thing
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Word Origin
Latin: rare bird
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rara avis
n.
c.1600, "peculiar person," from Latin rara avis, literally "strange bird," from rara, fem. of rarus "rare" (see rare (adj.1)) + avis "bird" (see aviary). Latin plural is raræ aves. Horace's peacock (a Roman delicacy), Juvenal's black swan ("Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno").
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper