rare

The steak is cooked to rare.

adjective

The definition of rare is something that exists in limited quantities, that is unusually good, or meat that is not cooked until it is well done.

An example of rare is true love, which is hard to find.
An example of rare is a print by Picasso, of which there are few.
An example of rare is when someone has unusual skill in sport.
An example of rare is a steak that is still pink in the middle.

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"rare." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare>.

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rare. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare

rare

adjective

rar′er, rar′est

not frequently encountered; scarce; unusual
unusually good; excellent: a rare scholar
not dense; thin; tenuous: rare atmosphere
Obs. not close together; scattered

Origin of rare

Middle English from Middle French from Classical Latin rarus, loose, thin, scarce, probably from Indo-European base an unverified form (e)re-, loose from source Classical Greek er?mos, solitary

adjective

rar′er, rar′est

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

Origin of rare

earlier rear from Middle English rere from Old English hrere, lightly boiled (basic sense probably “disturbed, moved”) from base of hreran, to move

intransitive verb

rared, rar′ing

Dial. rear (esp. intransitive verb & )
Informal to be eager, enthusiastic, etc.: used in prp.: raring to go

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MLA Style

"rare." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare>.

APA Style

rare. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare

rare

adjective

rar·er, rar·est

Infrequently occurring; uncommon: a rare event; a plant that is rare in this region.
Excellent; extraordinary: a rare sense of honor.
Thin in density; rarefied: rare air.

Origin of rare

Middle English from Old French from Latin rārus

Related Forms:

rare′ness
noun

adjective

rar·er, rar·est

Cooked just a short time so as to retain juice and redness: a rare steak.

Origin of rare

Middle English rere lightly boiled from Old English hrēr ; see kerə- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

rare′ness
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"rare." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 20 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare>.

APA Style

rare. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Rare

Adjective

(comparative rarer or more rare, superlative rarest or most rare)

(cooking, particularly meats) Cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red (in the case of steak or beef in the general sense).

Antonyms

(cooked very lightly): well done

Origin

From a dialectal variant of rear, from Middle English rere, from Old English hrÄ“r, hrÄ“re (“not thoroughly cooked, underdone, lightly boiled"), from hrÄ“ran (“to move, shake, agitate"), from Proto-Germanic *hrÅzijanÄ… (“to stir"), from Proto-Indo-European *á¸±era-, *á¸±rÄ- (“to mix, stir, cook"). Related to Old English hrÅr (“stirring, busy, active, strong, brave"). More at rear.

Adjective

(comparative rarer, superlative rarest)

Very uncommon; scarce.
Black pearls are very rare and therefore, very valuable.
(of a gas) Thin; of low density.

Related terms

rarity

Origin

From Middle English rare, from Old French rare, rere (“rare, uncommon"), from Latin rÄrus (“loose, spaced apart, thin, infrequent"), from Proto-Indo-European *er(e)-, *rÄ“- (“friable, thin"). Replaced native Middle English gesen ("rare, scarce"; from Old English gÇ£sne), Middle English seld ("rare, uncommon"; from Old English selden), and Middle English seldsene ("rare, rarely seen, infrequent"; from Old Norse sialdsÄ“nn; See seldsome).