rare

Meanings

Adjective

• 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

• To rear, rise up, start backwards.
• To rear, bring up, raise.

Origin

• From Middle English rare, from Old French rare, rere, from Latin rārus, from Proto-Indo-European *er(e)-, *rē-. Replaced native Middle English gesen (from Old English gǣsne), Middle English seld (from Old English selden), and Middle English seldscene (from Old English seldsēne).
• From a dialectal variant of rear, from Middle English rere, from Old English hrēr, hrēre, from hrēran, from Proto-Germanic *hrōzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱroHs-. Related to Old English hrōr. More at rear.
• Variant of rear.
• Compare rather, rath.