[rair] 
| 1. | coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: a rare disease; His visits are rare occasions. |
| 2. | thinly distributed over an area; few and widely separated: Lighthouses are rare on that part of the coast. |
| 3. | having the component parts not closely compacted together; not dense: rare gases; lightheaded from the rare mountain air. |
| 4. | unusually great: a rare display of courage. |
| 5. | unusually excellent; admirable; fine: She showed rare tact in inviting them. |
[rair] | (of meat) cooked just slightly: He likes his steak rare. |
| rare 1 (râr) adj. rar·er, rar·est
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rārus.] rare'ness n. |
| rare 2 (râr) adj. rar·er, rar·est Cooked just a short time so as to retain juice and redness: a rare steak. [Middle English rere, lightly boiled, from Old English hrēr; see kerə- in Indo-European roots.] rare'ness n. |