Where does “rare” come from?

rare (Middle English) comes from Old French rare, from Latin rārus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- — to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare.

rare (Middle English): airy, vacuous; porous, breathable; sparsely...

Definitions

  1. airy, vacuous; porous, breathable; sparsely...

Ancestry of “rare”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchrare—
2Latinrārus—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁reh₁-to row; to separate; loose, sparse, rare

Words derived from “rare”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁reh₁- →Every word from Latin rārus →Every word from Old French rare →