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rare

[rair]

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.

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

Related forms

rare·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. exceptional, extraordinary, singular. 2. sparse, infrequent. 5. choice, incomparable, inimitable.

Antonyms
1. common. 2. frequent. 5. inferior.

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Rare is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

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Example Sentences

Mothers are rare sights on the coach's bench for youth sports at every level.

Researchers track the cause of a rare but fatal form of insomnia.

He is considered honest and frugal, rare virtues in a country with eye-popping graft.

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Mothers are rare sights on the coach's bench for youth sports at every level.

Researchers track the cause of a rare but fatal form of insomnia.

He is considered honest and frugal, rare virtues in a country with eye-popping graft.

Smart phones have increasingly become valuable tools in the conservation of rare species around the world.

When faced with the rare snail whose shell formation is counterclockwise, many snakes failed to feed or dropped their prey.

With the exception of some rare kinds, they are summer and fall blooming.

Whereas common variants tend to be shared across racial and ethnic groups, rare variants seem to be group-specific.

With tensions rising between the two powers, the concert was a rare moment when art really did seem to transcend politics.

Severe, chronic mental illness was viewed as relatively rare.

Constructive suggestions are rare in a debate that has mixed a lot of rhetorical cant with a big principle.

Formation of an ocean is a rare event, one few scientists have ever witnessed.

They also contain tiny grains of monazite, a rare earth mineral that lends itself to radioactive dating.

The kids and the chickens enjoyed sitting under the arbor to cool off on our rare sunny day, or to hide out during the rain.

It's rare that malware-writing crews get arrested for creating the tools that criminals use.

Most hybrid and electric vehicles rely on motors that contain rare earth metals.

While life comes with no guarantees, fortunately, campus violence remains rare.

It is rare that government policy can make a big difference.

The main problems with donors are rare instances of complications having to do with the surgery, not the lack of the kidney.

Not only are women still rare at the top of the science world, but they are even more uncommon in the public eye.

On the rare sunny summer day, the water is calm and swimmable.

Rare earths are used in automotive catalytic converters and for refining petroleum products.

With notably rare exceptions, locking all exits to the workplace is a harmless way to improve your employees' productivity.

Sowell is a rare being, an intellectual who makes his life half in the university and half outside it.

Many people have jobs for life and performance measures are rare.

Super deep formed diamonds might be rare but regular diamonds really aren't.

What she had stumbled upon was rare indeed: a riddle in plain sight.

It's a rare kitchen that doesn't yield the basic ingredients of eggs, milk, and flour.

Astronomers have spotted a rare stellar nursery that was common at the dawn of the universe.

Immersion courses are common for language programs but are rare in other disciplines.

Researchers get a rare glimpse at life without fright.

It was a rare victory in a rapidly escalating fight to save the rhinoceros.

Here's a top-notch version that will make it a rare treat.

The rare piece is expected to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And in the animal kingdom, teaching is exceedingly rare.

In general, the more barren the desert is, the more rare and astonishing the flower show will be.

In the snorkeling pool on the north end, you might see a rare sleeping monk seal.

The child was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder, known as cyclopia.

Even in the capital, attempts to crack down on the counterfeiters are rare.

And it is the rare observatory that becomes a cultural icon.

How rare such places have become in a society addicted to quick fixes, executive summaries, and idiot's guides.

In this area, the native soil is rich, a rare commodity in mountain gardens.

It is the rare person who has not been touched, however distantly, by suicide-its inheritances and legacies.

For many of us, major disasters are infrequent, but they are not all that rare.

Beyond making drugs, however, such big-dollar corporate alliances remain rare.

Some patients suffer from diseases so rare that it may take years to receive a diagnsosis.

Raises may be rare for college presidents this year.

Megan actually has a rare genetic disorder that renders her insensitive to pain.

New case studies focus on rare illusory body perceptions that could answer questions about how.

But no exorcisms, please these rare orchids are the stars of a hit movie and a best-selling book.

The expedition celebrates finding two rare chameleon species during a difficult summit climb.

Earlier this month, your correspondent was given a rare tour.

There are thousands of rare genetic diseases, ranging from the widely-known.

The hullabaloo over the supply of rare earth elements seems likely to be short-lived.

It's rare that a relevant newspaper article or story doesn't get picked up by somebody in my network.

But careful scrutiny reveals that such examples are rare.

In fact, many rare elements have been suggested elsewhere to be at or already over peak.

Rare variants will give you a much stronger link to disease.

But the skill of choosing the right ones to focus on at the right time is rare.

Spread of rare strain raises questions over surveillance of infectious diseases.

There are also rare cases of isolated trees that have escaped the blight.

On that rare occasion when the store has run out of rotisserie chicken, you may find this method handy.

Customers can also savour the rare privilege of pushing their own trolleys and serving themselves from the shelves.

The museum preserves a number of historic buildings and keeps rare livestock.

It is rare for the high court to agree to hear cases on appeal.

Given that people with schizophrenia tend to perform poorly in any test, tasks at which they excel are both rare and revealing.

Two stars become one, and trigger a rare type of nova.

It seems to be a rare case of a seed planting itself.

You'll spend your days on activities that help preserve the rare native plants and animals on the island.

These planet-altering meteorites were once thought quite rare.

Partnerships between independent colleges and for-profit schools are rare but not unprededented.

It seems, however, to be one of those rare processes that get worse with practice.

Identifying new species of large animals or creatures that belong to well-studied groups is extremely rare.

Some citizens defended random stores, rare sentries choosing to stand for order against the epidemic disorder.

Water is one of those rare materials that expands while it freezes.

If you are one of the rare people who is both a huge.

They will really learn, once they get used to it, for it is way too rare in academe.

But rare will be the person who suggests the roundworm.

So-called rare earths are not rare, but with no current domestic source the essential trace elements can be.

Biologists report that a rare type of pink iguana found on a single volcano in.

It is rare for someone to parachute into a discipline in which they haven't already published and nonetheless obtain grant money.

Compared with groups who lobby to save animals or trees, campaigners who lobby to preserve languages are themselves a rare breed.

Though much publicized, these egregious errors are relatively rare.

It's rare to see such a feverish level of anticipation for a non-Apple smartphone.

To be introducing such a rare new species here is very.

His reflexes guarantee no coffee spills on rare books.

Their siblings suffered from leukemia or a rare and potentially lethal anemia.

It will be rare that you have an opportunity to teach literature.

Rare has thought of a whole bunch of different things to do with the concept, but nothing ever pays off.

Such students have proven to be rather rare in my courses anyway.

Meteorite strikes on humans and human structures are rare but not unknown.

In fact, it is a rare situation when a candidate slate is populated by people with significant educational experience.

Frost and snow occasionally occur inland, but are rare on the coast.

It's the rare blogger who knows the power of anonymity.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

adjective, rar·er, rar·est.

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

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

Related forms

rare·ness, noun

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

rear² (def. 6).

Link To rare

Collins

World English Dictionary

rare¹ (rɛə)

—*adj*
1.	not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or unusual: a rare word
2.	occurring seldom: a rare appearance
3.	not widely distributed; not generally occurring: a rare herb
4.	(of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied
5.	uncommonly great; extreme: kind to a rare degree
6.	exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine: rare skill
7.	highly valued because of its uncommonness: a rare prize

[C14: from Latin rārus sparse]

'rareness¹

—n

rare² (rɛə)

—*adj*
	(of meat, esp beef) very lightly cooked

[Old English hrēr; perhaps related to hreawraw]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

rare

"unusual," c.1420, originally "few in number and widely separated," from O.Fr. rere "sparse" (14c.), from L. rarus "thinly sown, having a loose texture," from PIE *er-, *ere- "to loose, split, separate" (cf. Skt. rte "besides, except," viralah "distant, tight, rare;" O.C.S. oriti "to dissolve, destroy;"

EXPAND

Lith. irti "to dissolve;" O.C.S. rediku "rare;" Gk. eremos "solitary"). "Few in number," hence, "unusual" (1542). Rarity is attested from 1560, from M.Fr. rarité (16c.), from L. raritas "thinness, fewness," from rarus. In chemistry, rare earth is from 1875.

rare

"undercooked," 1655, variant of M.E. rere, from O.E. hrer "lightly cooked," probably related to hreran "to stir, move." Originally of eggs, not recorded in reference to meat until 1784, and according to OED, in this sense "formerly often regarded as an Americanism, although it was current in many English

dialects ...."

rare

"rise up," 1833, dialectal variant of rear (v.). Sense of "eager" (in raring to go) first recorded 1909.

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