rarity
[rair-i-tee]
- something rare, unusual, or uncommon: Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.
- something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious: That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.
- the state or quality of being rare.
- rare occurrence; infrequency: Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.
- unusual excellence.
- thinness, as of air or a gas.
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Origin of rarity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for rarity
Contemporary Examples
The price reflects its rarity as well, but also the finicky, difficult, and nuanced process of making Champagne.
Servin is a rarity: A cop who is being tried for his lethal actions.
Chicago’s Cops Don’t Even Get Investigated for Shooting People in the BackJustin Glawe
December 5, 2014
Still, sci-fi and fantasy that is actually motivated by the issues surrounding women is a rarity.
These films tend to be a rarity in Hollywood, and usually come in smaller indie packages.
She stressed the rarity of lifetime alimony and said that she believes that in a number of instances alimony remains a necessity.
Historical Examples
Can it be that the rarity of this virtue in England has to do with our living in a straitened island?
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Of course its rarity made it all the more impressive when it did come.
The ChanningsMrs. Henry Wood
Their rarity, in my opinion, makes them more esteemed than they deserve.
The History of LouisianaLe Page Du Pratz
A milk-white fawn, on account of its rarity, was given him by a peasant.
A Short History of SpainMary Platt Parmele
No doubt, he was anxious to emphasise the novelty and rarity of his literary adventures.
Grimhild's VengeanceAnonymous
rarity
- a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon
- the state or quality of being rare
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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
Word Origin and History for rarity
n.
early 15c., "thinness;" 1550s, "fewness," from Middle French rarité or directly from Latin raritas "thinness, looseness of texture; fewness," from rarus (see rare (adj.1)). Sense of "a rare thing or event" is from 1590s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper