rare 
Good discent, rare features, vertuous paries. 
Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.), p. 43. 
I think my love as rare 
As any she belied with false compare. 
Shak., Sonnets, cxxx. 
They write to me from England of rare News in France. 
Uowell, Letters, I. vi. 37. 
Ha ! ha ! ha ! yes, yes, I think it a rare joke. 
Sheridan, School for Scandal, iii. 3. 
She 's a rare hand at sausages ; there 's noane like her 
in a' the three Ridings. Mrs. Gaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, viii. 
= Syn. 3. Rare, Scarce, infrequent, unusual. Bare im- 
plies that only few of the kind exist : as, perfect diamonds 
are rare. Scarce properly implies a previous or usual con- 
dition of greater abundance. Bare means that there are 
much fewer of a kind to be found than may be found 
where scarce would apply. 
A perfect union of wit and judgment is one of the rarest 
things in the world. Burke. 
Where words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain. 
Shak., Eich. II., 11. 1. 7. 
Then touch'd upon the game, how scarce it was 
This season. Tennyson, Audley Court. 
4. Singular, extraordinary, incomparable, choice. 
rare 2 (rar), a. [A dial, form of rear 2 , q. v.] 
Not thoroughly cooked ; partly cooked ; under- 
done: applied to meat: as, rare beef; a rare 
chop. [In common use in the United States, 
but now only dialectal in Great Britain.] 
Ni-w-laiil eggs, which Baucis' busy care 
Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., viii. 98. 
Scanty mutton scrags on Fridays, and rather more sa- 
voury, but grudging, portions of the same flesh, rotten- 
roasted or rare, on the Tuesdays. Lamb, Christ's Hospital. 
The word rare, applied to meat not cooked enough, did 
sound really strange to me ; but an eminent citizen of 
yours presently showed me that it had for it the authority 
of Dryden. E. A. Freeman, AMU i. LecU., p. 69. 
rare 3 (rar), adv. [Also rear; prob. a reduction 
of rather (with sense of the positive rath) : see 
rather, rath 1 , adv. Cf. rareripe for rathripe.] 
Early. [Prov. Eng.] 
rare 4 (rar), v. A dialectal form of rear 1 . [U. S.] 
rarest, v. An obsolete form of roar. 
rarebit (rar'bit), n. [An altered form of rabbit* 
in the phrase Welsh rabbit, simulating an ab- 
surd derivation from rare 1 + bit, as if ' a rare 
delicacy.'] See Welsh rabbit, under rabbit 1 . 
raree-SnOW (rar'e-sho), . [Appar. contract- 
ed from "rarity-show, < rarity + sliow, n. (cf. G. 
raritateti-kabittet, a 'cabinet of curiosities or 
rarities,' raritdtenkasten, peep-show, D. rare- 
kykkas, a 'rare show,' show-box).] A peep- 
show ; a show carried about in a box. 
Thou didst look into it with as much tnnocency of heart 
as ever child look'd into a raree-show box. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, viii. 24. 
rarefaction (rar-e-fak'shqn), n. [< F. rarefac- 
tion = Pr. rarefdccio = 8p. rarefaccion = Pg. 
rarefacgSo = It. rarefazione, < L. as if "rarefac- 
tio(n-),<. rarefaeere, pp. rarefactus, rarefy: see 
rare/!/.] The act or process of rarefying or 
making rare, or of expanding or distending a 
body or mass of matter, whereby the bulk is 
increased, or a smaller number of its particles 
occupy the same space ; also, the state or con- 
dition so produced: opposed to condensation. 
The term is used chiefly in speaking of gases, the terms 
dilatation and expansion being applied in speaking of solids 
and liquids. There was formerly a dispute as to whether 
rarefaction consisted merely of an increase In the mean 
distance of the particles (as it is now held to do), or in 
an enlargement of the particles themselves, or finally in 
an intrusion of foreign particles. In the strictest sense, 
the word was understood to signify the second action. 
Either we must say . . . that the selfsame body does 
not only obtain a greater space in rarefaction, . . . but 
adequately and exactly filled it, and so when rarefied ac- 
quires larger dimensions without either leaving any vacui- 
ties betwixt its component corpuscles or admitting be- 
tween them any new or extraneous substance whatsoever. 
Now it is to this last (and, as some call it, rigorous) way 
of rarefaction that our adversary has recourse. 
Boyle, Spring of the Air, I. iii. 
When the rarefaction of a gas is extreme (one-millionth) 
its matter becomes radiant. 
A. DanieU, Prin. of Physics, p. 684. 
rarefactive (rar-e-fak'tiv), a. [= P. rarejactif 
= Pr. rarefactiu = Sp. Pg. rarefactivo; as rare- 
fact(ion) + -ive.~] Causing rarefaction ; making 
rarer or less dense. [Bare.] 
The condition of the bone was not a tumour, but a rare- 
factive disease of the whole bone accompanied by new 
growth. Lancet, No. 3423, p. 684. 
rareflable (rar'e-fi-a-bl), a. [< rarefy + -able.'] 
Capable of being rarefied. 
rarefy (rar'e-fi), v.; pret. and pp. rarefied, ppr. 
rarefying. [Also, incorrectly, rar ify; <F. rare- 
fier = Pr. rareficar = Sp. rarificar = It. rarifi- 
care, < ML. as if "rareficare, < L. rarefaeere (> Pg. 
rarefazer), make thin or rare, < rarus, thin, rare, 
+ /acere, make.] I. trans. To make rare, thin. 
4964 
porous, or less dense ; expand or enlarge without 
adding any new matter ; figuratively, to spread 
or stretch out; distend: opposed to condense. 
Presently the water, very much rarifted like a mist, be- 
gan to rise. Court and Times of Charles /., I. 113. 
For plain truths lose much of their weight when they 
are rartfy'd into subtillities. Stillingjteet, Sermons, I. iv. 
A body is commonly said to be rarefied or dilated (for I 
take the word in a larger sense than I know many others 
do) . . . when it acquires greater dimensions than the 
same body had before. Boyle, Works, 1. 144. 
Rarefying osteitis, an osteitis in which the Haverslan 
canals become enlarged and the bone rarefied. Also called 
osteoporosis. 
II. intrans. To become rare ; pass into a thin- 
ner or less dense condition. 
Earth rarefies to dew ; expanded more, 
The subtil dew in ah- begins to soar. Dryden. 
rarely 1 (rar'li), adv. [< rare 1 , a., + -ly 2 .] 1. 
Seldom; not often: as, things rarely seen. 
His friend alwayes shall doe best, and you shall rarely 
heare good of his enemy. 
Bp. Earle, Micro-cosmographie, A Partial! Man. 
The good we never miss we rarely prize. 
Cowper, Retirement, 1. 406. 
2. Finely; excellently; remarkably well ; with 
a rare excellence. 
I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to 
make all split Shalt., M. N. D., 1. 2. 31. 
Argyll has raised an bunder men, 
An hunder harness'd rarely. 
Bonnie House of Airly (Child's Ballads, VI. 186). 
You can write rarely now, after all your schooling, I 
should think. Qeorge Eliot, Mill on the Floes, iii. 3. 
3. In excellent health: in quasi-adjective use. 
Compare purely in like use. [Prov. Eng. and 
U. S.] 
rarely 2 (rar'li), adv. [< rare 2 , a., + -Zy 2 .] So 
as to be underdone or only partially cooked : 
said of meats : as, a roast of beef rarely cooked. 
rareness 1 (rar'nes), n. [< rare 1 , a., + -ness.'] 
1. Thinness; tenuity; rarity: as, the rareness 
of air or vapor. 2. The state of being scarce, 
or of happening seldom; uncommonness; in- 
frequency. 
If that the follye of men hadde not sette It [gold] In 
higher estimation for the rarenesse sake. 
Sir T. More, Utopia (tr. by Robinson), ii. 6. 
Bareness and difficulty give estimation 
To all things are i' th world. 
Webster, Devil's Law-Case, v. 6. 
3. Uncommon character or quality; especial- 
ly, unusual excellence, fineness, or the like. 
[Rare.] 
Roses set in the midst of a pool, being supported by 
some stay ; which is matter of rareness and pleasure, 
though of small use. Baton, Nat. Hist, 407. 
His providences toward us are to be admired for the 
rareness and graciousness of them. Sharp, Sermons, II. i. 
rareness 2 (rar'nes), n. [< rare 2 , a., + -ness.] 
The state of being rare or underdone in cooking. 
rareripe (rar'rip), a. and n. [A reduction of 
rathripe, q. v.] I. a. Early ripe; ripe before 
others, or before the usual season : as, rareripe 
peaches. 
U. n. An early fruit, particularly a kind of 
peach which ripens early. 
ratify (rar'i-fi), r. ; pret. and pp. rarified, ppr. 
rarifying. A common but incorrect spelling of 
rarefy. 
rarita (ra-re'ta), n. [S. Amer.] Same as rara. 
rarity (rar'i-tij, . ; pi. rarities (-tiz). [= OF. ra- 
rite, rarete,'V. rarete= Pr. raritat, rareta< = Sp. 
raridad = Pg. raridade = It. rarita = D. rariteit 
= G. raritat = Dan. Sw. raritet, < L. rarita(t-)s, 
the state of being thin or not dense, looseness of 
texture, tenuity, also fewness, rarity, a rare or 
curious thing, esp. in pi., < rarus, thin, rare: see 
rare 1 .] 1. The condition of being rare, or not 
dense, or of occupying, as a corporeal sub- 
stance, much space with little matter; thin- 
ness; tenuity: opposed to density: as, the rar- 
ity of a gas. 
This I do ... only that I may better demonstrate the 
great rarity and tenuity of their Imaginary chaos. 
BenUey, Sermons. 
A few birds . . . seemed to swim in an atmosphere of 
more than usual rarity. 
B. L. Stevenson, Treasure of Franchard. 
2. The state of being uncommon or of in- 
frequent occurrence ; uncommonness ; infre- 
quency. 
Alas, for the rarity 
Of Christian charity 
Under the sun ! 
Hood, Bridge of Sighs. 
3. Something that is rare or uncommon; a 
thing valued for its scarcity or for its unusual 
excellence. 
rascal 
Gon. But the rarity of it is which is indeed almost be- 
yond credit. 
Seb. As many vouched rarities are. 
Shak., Tempest, ii. 1. o. 
How ignorant had we been of the beauty of Florence, of 
the monuments, urns, and rarities that yet remain. 
/. Walton, Complete Angler, p. 34. 
In climates where wine is a rarity intemperance 
abounds. Macaulay, Milton. 
ras 1 (ras), . [< Ar. ras, head ; cf. ri, rrix, head, 
chief: see rei's 2 .] 1. Apromontory; cape ; peak : 
a term prefixed to the names of promontories 
or capes on the Arabian and African coasts, etc/ 
2. In Abyssinia, the title of the viziror chief 
minister, and also of generals and governors. 
The ras of the empire was for a long period down to 
the accession of the usurping King Theodore in 1856 the 
actual ruler, the nominal Negus being merely a puppet. 
The ras commonly owed his position to superior military 
strength as governor of some province. 
ras 2 (ra), n. [F. : see rft*.] A smooth ma- 
terial of wool, and also of silk: a French term 
used in English, especially in certain combina- 
tions. 
rasamala (ras-a-ma'la), H. [Native name.] 
A tree of Java and parts of India, Alttngia 
excelsa, of the Hamamelidese, closely related to 
the liquidambars. It has a tall straight trunk, 
ascending 90 or 100 feet before branching. 
f 
kin 
fire Is a flanking fire that impinges on or grazes the face 
which It defends, or a low fire that sweeps along near the 
ground. A rasant line is a direct line of fire of this kind. 
A rasant flank is the flank of a bastion the fire from which 
passes along the face of an adjoining bastion. 
rasberryt, . An obsolete form of raspberry. 
Rasbora (ras-bo'rii), n. [NL. (Hamilton) ; from 
a native name.] " The typical genus of Bas- 
borina, containing numerous small cyprinoids 
of the Oriental and African waters. The lateral 
line runs along the lower half of the caudal 
part. 
Rasborina (ras-bo-ri'nii), n. pi. [NL., < Ras- 
bora + -na 2 .] A division of Cyprinidae, repre- 
sented by Rasbora and four other genera. 
rascabiliant (ras-ka-bil'yan), n. [A perverted 
form of rascallion.] A rascal. 
Their names are often recorded in a court of correction, 
where the register of rogues makes no little gaine of ras- 
cabttians. Breton, Strange News, p. (i. (Davies.) 
rascaillet, A Middle English form of rascal. 
rascal (ras'kal), n. and a. [Early mod. E. ras- 
call; < ME. rascall, raskalle, rascaile, rascaille, 
rascayle, raskaille, rasskayle, rascalie, rascalye, 
< OF. (AF.) rascaille, raskaylle, raskayle, a rab- 
ble. mob, F. racaille, "the rascality or base 
and rascall sort, the scumme, dregs, offals, 
outcasts, of any company" (Cotgrave), lit. 
' scrapings,' < OF. "rasquer, scrape. = Sp. Pg. 
rasear, scratch, rasgar, tear, rend, scrape, = 
OK. rascare, burnish, rub, furbish (see rash 6 ), 
< LL. "rasicare, freq. of L. radere, pp. rasus, 
scrape: see rose 1 , raze' 1 .'] I. n. If. The com- 
monalty of people ; the vulgar herd ; the gen- 
eral mass. 
So rathely they rusche with roselde speris 
That the raskaille was rade, and rane to the grefes. 
Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2882. 
Lo ! here the fyn and guerdon for travaille, 
Of Jove, Apollo, of Mars and swich rescaitte. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 1853. 
The church is sometime taken for the common rascal of 
all that believe, whether with the mouth only, and carnal- 
ly without spirit, neither loving the law in their hearts. 
Tyndale, Ans. to Sir T. More, etc. (Parker Soc., I860), 
[p. 114. 
2. In hunting, a refuse or despicable beast or 
class of beasts ; an animal, or animals collec- 
tively. unfit to chase or to kill, on account of 
ignoble quality or lean condition ; especially, a 
lean deer. 
I wondir not hyly thouj heed-dere thou ffailid ; 
ffor litill on soure lyf the list ffor to rewe 
On rascaile that rorid with ribbis so lene, 
ffor ffaute of her ffode that fflatereris stelen. 
Richard the Redeless, ii. 119. 
nther bestys all, 
Where so ye theym fynde, rascall ye shall them call. 
Quoted in Walton's Complete Angler, p. 31. 
Horns? Even so. Poor men alone? No, no; the noblest 
deer hath them as huge as the rascal. 
Shak., As you Like it, iii. 3. 58. 
3f. A low or vulgar person ; one of the rabble : 
a boor or churl. 
Tis true, I have been a rascal, as you are, 
A fellow of no mention, nor no mark, 
Just such another piece of dirt, so fashion'd. 
Fletcher (and another'!), Prophetess, v. 5. 
4. A low or mean fellow; a tricky, dishonest 
person; a rogue; a knave; a scamp: used in 
