rarefied
Use Rarefied in a sentence
əˌfaɪd adjective
1.
extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium.
2.
of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas.
2.
to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted.
verb (used without object)
3.
to become rare or less dense; become thinned: Moisture rarefies when heated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To rarefied
00:10
Rarefied
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 scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
rarefied (ˈrɛərɪˌfaɪd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | exalted in nature or character; lofty: a rarefied spiritual existence |
| 2. | current within only a small group; esoteric or exclusive |
| 3. | (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high altitudes) having a low density; thin |
| rarefy (ˈrɛərɪˌfaɪ) | |
| —vb , -fies, -fying, -fied | |
| to make or become rarer or less dense; thin out | |
| [C14: from Old French raréfier, from Latin rārēfacere, from rārus | |
| 'rarefiable | |
| —adj | |
| 'rarefier | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rarefy
late 14c., from O.Fr. rarefier (14c.), from M.L. rarificare, from L. rarefacere "make rare," from rarus "rare, thin" (see rare (1)) + facere "to make" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
The gas in the hot bubble is too rarefied to produce much light in spite of its enormous temperatures.
As colleges expand entrepreneurship education, more are giving hands-on schooling in the rarefied world of start-up finance.
The contractor shall perform testing in a rarefied environment and all support activities in order to enable such tests.
Yes, because what was beforehand essentially a rarefied set of references became something everyone enjoyed.
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