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rarefy

 [rair-uh-fahy]   Origin

rar·e·fy

   [rair-uh-fahy] verb, -fied, -fy·ing.
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.

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Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English rarefien < Middle French rarefier < Latin rārēfacere, equivalent to rārē-, combining form of rārus rare1 (for expected rāri-; orig. of -ē- unclear) + facere to make; see -fy

Related forms
rar·e·fi·a·ble, adjective
rar·e·fi·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
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 rārusrare1 + facere to make]
 
'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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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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