rare Hear it!

rare1 definition

rare (rer)

adjective rarer rar′er, rarest rar′·est

  1. not frequently encountered; scarce; unusual
  2. unusually good; excellent a rare scholar
  3. not dense; thin; tenuous rare atmosphere
  4. Obsolete not close together; scattered

Etymology: ME < MFr < L rarus, loose, thin, scarce, prob. < IE base *(e)re-, loose > Gr erēmos, solitary

Related Forms:

rare2 definition

rare (rer)

adjective rarer rar′er, rarest rar′·est

not completely cooked; underdone; partly raw: said esp. of meat

Etymology: earlier rear < ME rere < OE hrere, lightly boiled (basic sense prob. “disturbed, moved”) < base of hreran, to move

Related Forms:

rare3 definition

rare (rer)

intransitive verb rared, raring rar′·ing

  1. Dialectal rear (esp. & )
  2. ☆ Informal to be eager, enthusiastic, etc.: used in prp. raring to go

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Funny,rare,obscure or uncommon words.6361 month ago

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