rath·er

[adv. rath-er, rah-ther; interj. rath-ur, rah-thur]
adverb
1.
in a measure; to a certain extent; somewhat: rather good.
2.
in some degree: I rather thought you would regret it.
3.
more properly or justly; with better reason: The contrary is rather to be supposed.
4.
sooner; more readily or willingly: to die rather than yield.
5.
more properly or correctly speaking; more truly: He is a painter or, rather, a watercolorist.
6.
on the contrary: It's not generosity, rather self-interest.
7.
rather than, instead of: Tutoring is provided by older students rather than teachers. Rather than complain, you should try to make changes.
interjection
8.
Chiefly British. emphatically yes; assuredly; without doubt: Is the book worth reading?Rather!
00:10
Rather is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
9.
had/would rather, to prefer that or to: I had much rather we not stay. We would rather go for dinner after the show.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English hrathor, comparative of hræth quick, rathe

Dictionary.com Unabridged

rathe

[reyth]
adjective
Archaic. growing, blooming, or ripening early in the year or season.
Also, rath [rath] .


Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English hræth, hræd quick, active; cognate with Dutch rad, Old Norse hrathr

rathe·ly, adverb
rathe·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
rathe or rath (reɪð, rɑːθ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  blossoming or ripening early in the season
2.  eager or prompt
 
[Old English hrathe; related to Old High German hrado, Old Norse hrathr]
 
rath or rath
 
adj
 
[Old English hrathe; related to Old High German hrado, Old Norse hrathr]

rather (ˈrɑːðə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adv
1.  relatively or fairly; somewhat: it's rather dull
2.  to a significant or noticeable extent; quite: she's rather pretty
3.  to a limited extent or degree: I rather thought that was the case
4.  with better or more just cause: this text is rather to be deleted than rewritten
5.  more readily or willingly; sooner: I would rather not see you tomorrow
 
sentence connector
6.  on the contrary: it's not cold. Rather, it's very hot indeed
 
sentence substitute
7.  an expression of strong affirmation, often in answer to a question: Is it worth seeing? Rather!
 
usage  Both would and had are used with rather in sentences such as I would rather (or had rather) go to the film than to the play. Had rather is less common and is now widely regarded as slightly old-fashioned

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rather
O.E. hraþor "more quickly, earlier, sooner," also "more readily," comparative of hraþe, hræþe "quickly," related to hræð "quick," from P.Gmc. *khrathuz (cf. O.N. hraðr, O.H.G. hrad). The base form rathe was obsolete by 18c. except in poetry; superlative rathest fell
from use by 17c. Meaning "more willingly" is recorded from c.1300; sense of "more truly" is attested from c.1380.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

rather

see had rather.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Yet some residents would rather run that risk than leave the place they call home.
If there was only ice, and never an ocean, the cooling of the planet should have contracted the ice rather than expanded it.
In my field it's journal articles rather than books, so the economics of publishing is different.
Although warthogs look fierce, they are actually herbivores who prefer to flee rather than fight.
Idioms & Phrases
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