Definition of RARE

rare

Plural: rares

Adjective Satellite

  • not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
    • "a rare word"
    • "rare books"
  • recurring only at long intervals
    • "a rare appearance"
    • "total eclipses are rare events"
  • not widely distributed
    • "rare herbs"
    • "rare patches of green in the desert"
  • having low density
    • "rare gasses"
    • "lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air"
  • marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind; -J.R.Lowell
    • "what is so rare as a day in June"
    • "a rare skill"
  • (of meat) cooked a short time; still red inside
    • "rare roast beef"

Adj

  • Very uncommon; scarce.
  • Thin; of low density.
  • Good; enjoyable.
  • Particularly of meat, especially beefsteak: cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red.
  • Early.

Noun

  • A scarce or uncommon item.

Verb

Verb Forms: rared, raring, rares

  • To be eager or enthusiastic about something.
  • To rear, rise up, start backwards.
  • To rear, bring up, raise.

Adjective

  • Occurring infrequently; uncommon or exceptional.

Examples

  • Black pearls are very rare and therefore very valuable.
  • Finding a triple-triple word play in Scrabble is incredibly rare, a true triumph.
  • He was raring to play his bingo, but the board just wasn’t opening up.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English rare, from Old French rare, rere (“rare, uncommon”), from Latin rārus (“loose, spaced apart, thin, infrequent”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“friable, thin”). Replaced native Middle English gesen (“rare, scarce”) (from Old English gǣsne), Middle English seld (“rare, uncommon”) (from Old English selden), and Middle English seldscene (“rare, rarely seen, infrequent”) (from Old English seldsēne).

Synonyms

rarefied, rarified, uncommon, dearthy, few and far between, geason, in short supply, infrequent, rare, raresome, scant, scantling, scarce, selcouth, seld, seldom, selly, superrare, unfrequent

Scrabble Score: 4

rare: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
rare: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
rare: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 4

rare: valid Words With Friends Word