rare
1[ rair ]
/ rɛər /
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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.
OTHER WORDS FOR rare
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Origin of rare
1First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rar(e), rer(e) “light, airy, loose,” from Latin rārus “loose, porous, wide apart, thin, infrequent”
OTHER WORDS FROM rare
rareness, nounOther definitions 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
2First recorded in 1610–20; variant of earlier rear, Middle English rere, hrere, Old English hrēr “(of eggs) lightly boiled”
OTHER WORDS FROM rare
rareness, nounOther definitions for rare (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use rare in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for rare (1 of 2)
rare1
/ (rɛə) /
adjective
Derived forms of rare
rareness, nounWord 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
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