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rarefy

[ rair-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈrɛər əˌfaɪ /
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See synonyms for: rarefy / rarefied on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), rar·e·fied, rar·e·fy·ing.
to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas.
to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted.
verb (used without object), rar·e·fied, rar·e·fy·ing.
to become rare or less dense; become thinned: Moisture rarefies when heated.
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Origin of rarefy

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rarefien, from Middle French rarefier, from Medieval Latin rārificāre, from Latin rārēfacere, equivalent to rārē-, irregular, unexplained combining form of rārus + facere “to make”; see origin at rare1, -fy

OTHER WORDS FROM rarefy

rar·e·fi·a·ble, adjectiverar·e·fi·er, noun

Words nearby rarefy

rare earth, rare-earth element, raree show, rarefaction, rarefied, rarefy, rare gas, rarely, rarely ever, rareripe, raring
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to rarefy

attenuate, cook, cut, decrease, delete, diminish, disperse, doctor, edit, emaciate, expand, extenuate, irrigate, lace, needle, prune, reduce, refine, shave, spike

How to use rarefy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rarefy

rarefy
/ (ˈrɛərɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied
to make or become rarer or less dense; thin out

Derived forms of rarefy

rarefiable, adjectiverarefier, noun

Word Origin for rarefy

C14: from Old French raréfier, from Latin rārēfacere, from rārus rare 1 + facere to make
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
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