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Webster 1913 Edition

Rare

Rare

(râr)
,
Adj.
[Cf.
Rather
,
Rath
.]
Early.
[Obs.]
Rude mechanicals that
rare
and late
Work in the market place.
Chapman.

Rare

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Rarer
(râr′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Rarest
.]
[Cf. AS.
hrēr
, or E.
rare
early. √18.]
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.
☞ This word is in common use in the United States, but in England its synonym
underdone
is preferred.

Rare

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Rarer
(râr′ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Rarest
.]
[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, these 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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Rare

RARE

,
Adj.
[L. rarus, thin.]
1.
Uncommon; not frequent; as a rare event; a rare phenomenon.
2.
Unusually excellent; valuable to a degree seldom found.
Rare work, all fill'd with terror and delight.
Above the rest I judge one beauty rare.
3.
Thinly scattered.
4.
Thin; porous; not dense; as a rare and attenuate substance.
Water is nineteen times lighter and by consequence nineteen times rarer than gold.
5.
Nearly raw; imperfectly roasted or boiled; as rare beef or mutton; eggs roasted rare.

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