word-vault/dist/data/cards/ra/rare.json

A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.

{
    "term": "rare",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "not done, seen, happening, etc. very often",
            "sensetop": "it is rare for somebody/something to do somethingit is rare to do something",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **rare disease/occurrence/event**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "This weekend, visitors will get a rare chance to visit the private apartments."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's extremely rare for it to be this hot in April.",
                    "contextForm": "it is rare for somebody/something to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is rare to find such loyalty these days.",
                    "contextForm": "it is rare to do something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**On the rare occasions when** they met he hardly even dared speak to her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bacteria can cause infection and, in **rare cases**, blindness."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The current exhibition offers a **rare opportunity** to see his original drawings."
                },
                {
                    "text": "In a **rare moment** of candour, she admitted that mistakes had been made."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was a rare *(= very great)* honour to be made a fellow of the college."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Most documentaries, with few rare exceptions, aren't worth purchasing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Serious crime is a relatively rare occurrence here."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Cold spells in Britain are becoming increasingly rare."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He suffers from a rare bone disease."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is rare for a prison sentence to be imposed for a first offence."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The case provides a rare glimpse into police practice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The hatching of a baby tortoise in captivity is a rare event."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Then I had one of my rare good ideas."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Rare cases of humans being infected with the virus that causes bird flu have been reported."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This is a rare sight: badgers are normally active only at night."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Time"],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "seem", "become"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "existing only in small numbers and therefore valuable or interesting",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **rare book**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a rare coin/stamp"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a rare plant/bird/animal"
                },
                {
                    "text": "This **species** is extremely **rare**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The stamps were not rare enough to be interesting."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The jade vase was extremely rare and very valuable."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The library has a collection of rare books and manuscripts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The marshes contain many rare species of plants."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verbs": ["be", "seem", "become"],
                "adverb": ["extremely", "fairly", "very"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "cooked for only a short time so that the inside is still red",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "‘How would you like your steak?’ ‘Rare.’"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Cooking and eating"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/reə(r)/",
                "audio": "ra/rare/rare__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/rer/",
                "audio": "ra/rare/rare__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "senses 1 to 2 late Middle English (in the sense ‘widely spaced, infrequent’): from Latin rarus.sense 3 late 18th cent.: variant of obsolete rear ‘half-cooked’ (used to refer to soft-boiled eggs, from the mid 17th to mid 19th cents)."
}