adjective
rare
Thin or low in density.
The old scientific text describes the air as rare at that height.
Etymology
Latin rarus means loose, scattered, or thin. The physical sense preserves low concentration of material rather than the more familiar low frequency of events.
More examples
- The experiment compared rare and dense gases.
- The air became rarer as pressure fell.
- She studied the behavior of matter in a rare state.
Forms
rare · rarer · rarest
Similar words
- thin
- Low in density or concentration.
- rarefied
- Made less dense, especially of a gas.