Word of the Day Archive
Tuesday June 18, 2002
rara avis \RAIR-uh-AY-vis\ , noun;
plural rara avises \RAIR-uh-AY-vuh-suhz\ or rarae aves \RAIR-ee-AY-veez\:
A rare or unique person or thing.
He was, after all, that rara avis, a Jewish Catholic priest with a wife and children.
-- Jeremy Sams, "Lorenzo the magnificent", Independent, May 16, 2000
"First of all," Arthur said, "Jack is that rara avis among Ivy League radicals, a birthright member of the proletariat."
-- Charles McCarry, Lucky Bastard
Rara avis. You'd have to go far and wide to find someone like that, especially in these times.
-- Andrew Holleran, In September, the Light Changes
Rara avis is Latin for "rare bird."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for rara avis
