rarer
comparative form of rare
• arrer
Source: Wiktionary
Rare, a. Etym: [Cf. Rather, Rath.]
Definition: Early. [Obs.] Rude mechanicals that rare and late Work in the market place. Chapman.
Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer; superl. Rarest.] Etym: [Cf. AS. hrer, or E. rare early.]
Definition: Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton. New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare. Dryden.
Note: This word is in common use in the United States, but in England its synonym underdone is preferred.
Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer; superl. Rarest.] Etym: [F., fr. L. rarus thin, rare.]
1. Not frequent; seldom met with or occurring; unusual; as, a rare event.
2. Of an uncommon nature; unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found. Rare work, all filled with terror and delight. Cowley. Above the rest I judge one beauty rare. Dryden.
3. Thinly scattered; dispersed. Those rare and solitary, three in flocks. Milton.
4. Characterized by wide separation of parts; of loose texture; not thick or dense; thin; as, a rare atmosphere at high elevations. Water is nineteen times lighter, and by consequence nineteen times rarer, than gold. Sir I. Newton.
Syn.
– Scarce; infrequent; unusual; uncommon; singular; extraordinary; incomparable.
– Rare, Scarce. We call a thing rare when but few examples, specimens, or instances of it are ever to be met with; as, a rare plant. We speak of a thing as scarce, which, though usually abundant, is for the time being to be had only in diminished quantities; as, a bad harvest makes corn scarce. A perfect union of wit and judgment is one of the rarest things in the world. Burke. When any particular piece of money grew very scarce, it was often recoined by a succeeding emperor. Addison.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
26 March 2025
(noun) bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
