rare English · revision 3073
15 Oct 2026, 19:30 by bogdan “en10k b0108: neither … patient” current version
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+ English has two words spelled ''rare'': “uncommon”, from Latin rarus, and “lightly cooked”, from Old English hrēr.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: UK /reə/, US /rer/^(Roach et al. 2011)
+
+ {{homograph|1|uncommon}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1392|origins=la rārus}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The uncommon sense is [[inh|enm|rere]], also rare,^(Barnhart 1988) [[bor|fro|rer|t=sparse, hard to find]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and directly [[der|la|rārus|t=thinly sown, loose in texture, infrequent]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998) the opposite of densus;^(Etymonline) its origin is uncertain,^(Barnhart 1988) and Merriam-Webster suggests a link with [[la|rēte|t=net]].^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Thin, airy, porous, of a substance: 1392 in Barnhart,^(Barnhart 1988) the late 14th century in Etymonline,^(Etymonline) and about 1420 in the OED.^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ From “having its particles far apart” came “few in number”, which led to “unusual”.^(Etymonline) Widely spaced, sparsely distributed and seldom found is from the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and “uncommon, exceptional” from 1447.^(Barnhart 1988) “Uncommonly good” is from the late 15th century, in Caxton,^(Etymonline) and Barnhart cites Shakespeare's ''Merchant of Venice'' (1596) for “unusually good or great”.^(Barnhart 1988) ''Rare earth'' in chemistry is from 1818.^(Etymonline) ''Rarity'' meant “thinness” before 1425 and “something rare” from 1592.^(Barnhart 1988) In many dialects ''rare'' meant “fine, splendid” and was also an intensive adverb.^(Wright 1898)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1392 – thin, airy.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1447 – uncommon.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * late 15th century – uncommonly good.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1592 – ''rarity'', a rare thing.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1818 – ''rare earth''.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Not occurring or found often; [[uncommon]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+ # Unusually good; [[excellent]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+ # Thin in density: ''rare mountain air''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[rarely]]
+ * [[rareness]]
+ * [[rarity]]
+ * [[rarefy]]
+
+ {{homograph|2|lightly cooked}}
+
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1000|origins=ang hrēr}}
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ The cooking sense is [[inh|enm|rere]],^(Barnhart 1988) [[inh|ang|hrēr|t=lightly cooked]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) probably related to [[m|ang|hrēran|t=to stir, move]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) from [[gem-pro|*hrōrijaną]],^(Etymonline) which is reconstructed from [[ine-pro|*kere-|t=to mix, confuse; cook]].^(Etymonline) Old English hrēran is cognate with Dutch roeren and German rühren “to stir”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The modern form is a variant of dialectal rear,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) altered after [[rare#1]].^(MWU 2024)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Of eggs, soft-cooked: 1655 for the form rare,^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) the 1650s in Etymonline.^(Etymonline) Old English hrēr is from about 1000.^(Barnhart 1988)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It was used at first of eggs, and of meat from 1784.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The OED notes that it was once thought an Americanism, though it was current in many English dialects and used by English writers in the early 19th century.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 1000 – Old English hrēr.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1655 – of eggs, soft-cooked.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1784 – of meat.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Of meat, cooked lightly so that the inside is still red.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[rear]]
+ * [[dense]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ A third word, the American verb ''rare'' “to rise on the hind legs”, from 1833, is a dialect form of [[rear]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and ''raring to go'' is recorded from 1909.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Etymonline quotes the Century Dictionary: ''rare'' says that few of a kind exist, while ''scarce'' implies that there were once, or usually are, more.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}