Rare definition
Thin in density; rarefied.
Rare air.
adjective
Not frequently encountered; scarce; unusual.
adjective
(obs.) Not close together; scattered.
adjective
(informal) To be eager, enthusiastic, etc.
Raring to go.
verb
Excellent; extraordinary.
A rare sense of honor.
adjective
Advertisement
Infrequently occurring; uncommon.
A rare event; a plant that is rare in this region.
adjective
Unusually good; excellent.
A rare scholar.
adjective
Not completely cooked; underdone; partly raw.
adjective
Advertisement
(cooking, particularly meats) Cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red (in the case of steak or beef in the general sense).
adjective
Advertisement
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.
adjective
Cooked just a short time so as to retain juice and redness.
A rare steak.
adjective
Not dense; thin; tenuous.
Rare atmosphere.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Adjective
Base Form:
rare
Comparative:
rarer
Superlative:
rarestOrigin of rare
- Middle English rere lightly boiled from Old English hrēr kerə- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Middle English from Old French from Latin rārus
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English rare, from Old French rare, rere (“rare, uncommon"), from Latin rārus (“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).
From Wiktionary
- 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 *hrōzijanÄ… (“to stir"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱera-, *ḱrā- (“to mix, stir, cook"). Related to Old English hrōr (“stirring, busy, active, strong, brave"). More at rear.
From Wiktionary
-
From Wiktionary
- Variant of rear.
From Wiktionary