Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rarely” come from?

Rarely comes from English rare, derived from Latin rarus meaning thin or thinly sown, from radere meaning to scrape or scratch, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁er-.

rarely (English): Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not...

Definitions

  1. Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not...

Ancestry of “rarely”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrareVery uncommon; scarce; Thin; of low density;...
2EnglishrearTo bring up to maturity, as offspring; to...
3Middle EnglishrerenTo raise; to hold or pull up or suspend upwards;...
4Old Englishrǣranto cause to rise, raise, rear, build, create; to...
5Proto-Germanicraizijanąto cause to rise; raise
6Proto-Germanicrīsanąto scale; move vertically; to rise
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁rey-to arise, arise; to rise, arise; to rise; arise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁rey- →