Where does “rare” come from?
Rare comes from Latin rarus, which derives from the verb radere meaning "to scrape," prefixed with re-, ultimately tracing to the Proto-Indo-European root h₁er- or wer-.
rare (English): Very uncommon; scarce; Thin; of low density;...
Definitions
- Very uncommon; scarce; Thin; of low density;...
Ancestry of “rare”, step by step
rare traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rear | To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to... |
| 2 | Middle English | reren | To raise; to hold or pull up or suspend upwards;... |
| 3 | Old English | rǣran | to cause to rise, raise, rear, build, create; to... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | raizijaną | to cause to rise; raise |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rīsaną | to scale; move vertically; to rise |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁rey- | to arise, arise; to rise, arise; to rise; arise |