| 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. Characterised 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) Synonym: 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) Origin: F, fr. L. Rarus thin, rare. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| rare earth elements | Those elements with atomic numbers 57-71 which closely resemble one another chemically and were once difficult to separate from one another. Synonym: rare earth elements. Origin: Lanthanum, first element of the series (05 Mar 2000) |
| rare earth metal | Those elements with atomic numbers 57-71 which closely resemble one another chemically and were once difficult to separate from one another. Synonym: rare earth elements. Origin: Lanthanum, first element of the series (05 Mar 2000) |
| rare earths | See: lanthanides. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rare species | A species of animal or plant that is considered rare, threatened, or endangered. (17 Dec 1997) |
| rare-earth screen | An intensifying screen made of a rare-earth oxide phosphor, more efficient than calcium tungstate, especially at the higher kilovoltages used in modern radiography. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rarefaction | The process of becoming light or less dense; the condition of being light; opposed to condensation. Origin: L. Rarus, thin, + facio, to make (05 Mar 2000) |
| rarefy | To become light or less dense. (05 Mar 2000) |
| rareripe | An early ripening fruit, especially a kind of freestone peach. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |