Rare , a.
[Compar. Rarer (râr"&etilde;r); superl.
Rarest.]
[F., fr. L.
rarus thin, rare.]
1. Not frequent; seldom met with or
occurring; unusual; as, a rare event.
2. Of an uncommon nature; unusually
excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.
Rare work, all filled with terror and delight.
Cowley. Above the rest I judge one beauty rare.
Dryden. 3. Thinly scattered; dispersed.
Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.
Milton. 4. Characterized by wide separation of parts; of loose texture; not thick or dense; thin; as, a rare
atmosphere at high elevations.
Water is nineteen times lighter, and by consequence nineteen
times rarer, than gold.
Sir I. Newton. Syn. --
Scarce; infrequent; unusual; uncommon; singular; extraordinary; incomparable. -- Rare, Scarce. We call a thing rare when but few
examples, specimens, or instances of it are ever to be met with; as,
a rare plant. We speak of a thing as scarce, which, though usually abundant, is for the time being to
be had only
in diminished quantities; as, a bad harvest
makes corn scarce.
A perfect union of wit
and judgment is one of the rarest things in the world.
Burke. When any particular piece of money grew
very scarce, it was often
recoined by a succeeding emperor.
Addison.
Rare , a.
[Compar. Rarer (râr"&etilde;r); superl.
Rarest.]
[Cf. AS. hrēr, or E. rare early. √18.]
Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton.
New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care
Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare.
Dryden. &fist; This word is in common use in
the United States, but in England its synonym underdone is preferred.
Rare (râr),
a. [Cf. Rather, Rath.]
Early. [Obs.]
Rude mechanicals that rare and late
Work in the market
place.
Chapman.
Hear it pronounced