Rath"er (?), a. [Compar. of Rath, a.]
Prior; earlier; former.
[Obs.]
Now no man dwelleth at the rather town.
Sir J. Mandeville.
© Webster 1913.
Rath"er (?), adv. [AS. hra[eth]or, compar. of hra[eth]e, hrae[eth]e, quickly, immediately. See Rath, a.]
1.
Earlier; sooner; before.
[Obs.]
Thou shalt, quod he, be rather false than I.
Chaucer.
A good mean to come the rather to grace.
Foxe.
2.
More readily or willingly; preferably.
My soul chooseth . . . death rather than my life.
Job vii. 15.
3.
On the other hand; to the contrary of what was said or suggested; instead.
Was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.
Mark v. 26.
4.
Of two alternatives conceived of, by preference to, or as more likely than, the other; somewhat.
He sought throughout the world, but sought in vain,
And nowhere finding, rather feared her slain.
Dryden.
5.
More properly; more correctly speaking.
This is an art
Which does mend nature, change it rather, but
The art itself is nature.
Shak.
6.
In some degree; somewhat; as, the day is rather warm; the house is rather damp.
The rather, the more so; especially; for better reason; for particular cause.
You are come to me in happy time,
The rather for I have some sport in hand.
Shak.
-- Had rather, ∨ Would rather, prefer to; prefers to; as, he had, ∨ would, rather go than stay. "I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousands words in an unknown tongue." 1 Cor. xiv. 19. See Had rather, under Had.
© Webster 1913.