rare

1
[ rair ]
/ rɛər /

adjective, rar·er, rar·est.

coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: a rare disease; His visits are rare occasions.
thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated: Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast.
having the component parts not closely compacted together; not dense: rare gases; lightheaded from the rare mountain air.
unusually great: a rare display of courage.
unusually excellent; admirable; fine: She showed rare tact in inviting them.

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Origin of rare

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin rārus loose, wide apart, thin, infrequent

OTHER WORDS FROM rare

rareness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rare

extinct, rare , scarce

Definition for rare (2 of 3)

rare2
[ rair ]
/ rɛər /

adjective, rar·er, rar·est.

(of meat) cooked just slightly: He likes his steak rare.

Origin of rare

2
1645–55; variant of earlier rear,Middle English rere,Old English hrēr lightly boiled

OTHER WORDS FROM rare

rareness, noun

Definition for rare (3 of 3)

rare3
[ rair ]
/ rɛər /

verb (used without object), rared, rar·ing.Older Use.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rare

British Dictionary definitions for rare (1 of 2)

rare1
/ (rɛə) /

adjective

Derived forms of rare

rareness, noun

Word Origin for rare

C14: from Latin rārus sparse

British Dictionary definitions for rare (2 of 2)

rare2
/ (rɛə) /

adjective

(of meat, esp beef) very lightly cooked

Word Origin for rare

Old English hrēr; perhaps related to hreaw raw
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