rara avis
[ rair-uh -ey-vis; Latin rah-rah -ah-wis ]
/ ˈrɛər ə ˈeɪ vɪs; Latin ˈrɑ rɑ ˈɑ wɪs /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for rara avis
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