A scarce or uncommon item.
"That vintage coin is incredibly rare and worth a fortune to collectors."
"The rare is not something I ever expected to find in this part of the world."
To rear, rise up, start backwards.
"As the giant squid rose from the deep water, its tentacles unfurled in a sudden and terrifying display."
In plain English: To make something rare is to cause it to become scarce or hard to find.
"The rare earths are found in very small amounts in most rocks."
Very uncommon; scarce.
"We caught the rare train that arrives before dawn to beat the morning rush."
Particularly of meat, especially beefsteak: cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red.
early
In plain English: Rare means something that happens very infrequently or is not found often.
"Finding such a rare bird in the city park was quite a surprise."
Usage: When describing steak or other meats, use rare to indicate that it has been cooked only slightly and remains mostly red in the center. This term specifically refers to a light level of doneness rather than general scarcity.
The word "rare" entered English from the French rere, meaning uncommon, which itself came from Latin for something loose or spaced apart. This loanword eventually replaced native terms like geason and seldscene that previously described scarcity.