Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Rarity
Rar′i-ty
(răr′ĭ-ty̆; 277)
, Noun.
pl.
Rarities
(răr′ĭ-tĭz)
. 1.
The quality or state of being rare; rareness; thinness;
as, the
. rarity
(contrasted with the density
) of gases2.
That which is rare; an uncommon thing; a thing valued for its scarcity.
I saw three
rarities
of different kinds, which pleased me more than any other shows in the place. Addison.
Webster 1828 Edition
Rarity
RAR'ITY
,Noun.
1.
Uncommonness; infrequency.Far from being fond of a flower for its rarity -
2.
A thing valued for its scarcity.I saw three rarities of different kinds, which pleased me more than any other shows in the place.
3.
Thinness; tenuity; opposed to density; as the rarity of air.Definition 2024
rarity
rarity
English
Noun
rarity (plural rarities)
- A measure of the scarcity of an object.
- (chemistry, of a gas) Thinness; the property of having low density
- 1927, H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath:
- Only the increasing rarity bothered him, and he thought that perhaps it was this which had turned the heads of other travellers and excited those absurd tales of night-gaunts whereby they explained the loss of such climbers as fell from these perilous paths.
-
- A rare object.
- 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
- Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe.
-
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
measure of the scarcity of an object
|
|
rare object
|
|
References
- rarity at OneLook Dictionary Search