Rath"er (ră&thlig;"&etilde;r; 277), adv. [AS.
hraðor, compar. of
hraðe, hræðe, quickly, immediately. See Rath, a.]
1. Earlier; sooner; before.
[Obs.]
Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.
Chaucer. A good mean to
come the rather to grace.
Foxe.
2. More readily or willingly; preferably.
My soul chooseth . . . death rather than my life.
Job vii.
15. 3. On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said
or suggested; instead.
Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.
Mark v. 26.
4. Of two
alternatives conceived of, this
by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat.
He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain,
And nowhere finding, rather feared her
slain.
Dryden. 5. More properly; more correctly speaking.
This is an art
Which does mend nature, change it rather, but
The art
itself is nature.
Shak.
6. In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is
rather damp.
The rather, the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause.
You
are come to
me in happy
time,
The rather for I have some sport in hand.
Shak. -- Had rather, or Would rather, prefer to; prefers to; as, he had, or would, rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown
tongue." 1 Cor. xiv.
19. See Had rather, under Had.
Rath"er (ră&thlig;"&etilde;r), a. [Compar. of Rath, a.]
Prior;
earlier; former. [Obs.]
Now no man
dwelleth at the rather town.
Sir J. Mandeville.
Hear it pronounced