Rare (?), a. [Cf. Rather, Rath.]
Early.
[Obs.]
Rude mechanicals that rare and late
Work in the market place.
Chapman.
© Webster 1913.
Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer; superl. Rarest.] [Cf. AS. hr&emac;r, or E. rare early.]
Nearly raw; partially cooked; not thoroughly cooked; underdone; as, rare beef or mutton.
New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care
Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare.
Dryden.
⇒ This word is in common use in the United States, but in England its synonym underdone is preferred.
© Webster 1913.
Rare, a. [Compar. Rarer (?); superl. Rarest.] [F., fr. L. rarus thin, 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.
Characterized 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.
Syn. -- 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.
© Webster 1913.