rarus

See also: Rarus

Latin

Etymology

Uncertain.[1] Potential cognates include Ancient Greek ἐρῆμος (erêmos, lonely), Lithuanian i̇̀rti (to dissolve, fall into ruin) and Proto-Slavic *oriti.

  • A root of the form *h₁reh₁- (to separate) is phonetically required by Greek ἐρῆμος (erêmos).[2] However, Schrijver 1991 argues that *h₁reh₁- cannot regularly give rise to Latin rār-:[3] according to Schrijver's sound changes, zero-grade Proto-Indo-European *h₁r̥h₁rós would give Latin *rarus with short -a- (compare ratus from *h₂rh₁tós), whereas e-grade Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁rós would give Latin *rērus with long -ē-.
  • Alternatively, from a root of the form *Hreh₂-. In this case, potentially cognate (with schwebeablaut) to i̇̀rti and *oriti.[3]
  • De Vaan 2008 mentions a root *h₂erH- (to disappear, perish) as another possibility but dismisses it as unlikely.[1]

Pronunciation

Adjective

rārus (feminine rāra, neuter rārum, comparative rārior, superlative rārissimus or rārissumus, adverb rārō or rārē or rārenter or rāriter); first/second-declension adjective

  1. scattered; far apart
  2. seldom; few
  3. rare; uncommon
  4. thin; loose

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

singular plural
masculine feminine neuter masculine feminine neuter
nominative rārus rāra rārum rārī rārae rāra
genitive rārī rārae rārī rārōrum rārārum rārōrum
dative rārō rārae rārō rārīs
accusative rārum rāram rārum rārōs rārās rāra
ablative rārō rārā rārō rārīs
vocative rāre rāra rārum rārī rārae rāra

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Albanian: rrallë
  • Asturian: raru
  • Danish: rar
  • Middle Dutch: raer
  • Middle English: rare, rere
  • Faroese: rárur
  • French: rare
  • German: rar
  • Norwegian: rar
  • Portuguese: raro
  • Spanish: raro
  • Swedish: rar
  • Aromanian: rar
  • Asturian: ralu
  • Catalan: rar
  • Friulian: râr
  • Galician: raro
  • Italian: rado, raro
  • Occitan: rar
  • Old French: rer
  • Portuguese: ralo
  • Romanian: rar
  • Romansch: rar, rer
  • Sardinian: raru
  • Sicilian: raru
  • Spanish: ralo
  • Venetan: raro

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “rārus”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 514
  2. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), “ἐρῆμος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 456-457
  3. 3.0 3.1 Schrijver, Peter C. H. (1991), The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin (Leiden studies in Indo-European; 2), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi, →ISBN, page 17

Further reading

  • rarus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • rarus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • rarus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
    • preparations for war; war-material: apparatus (rare in plur.) belli
    • in open order: raris ordinibus
    • to fight in skirmishing order: rari dispersique pugnare (B. C. 1. 44)
  • rarus”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia[2]
  • De Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 514