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rārus , a, um, adj. etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. root rah-, to abandon,
I.having wide interstices between its parts, of a loose texture, not thick or dense, thin (opp. densus; freq. and class.).
I. Lit.: “denseri poterunt ignes, rarique relinqui,Lucr. 1, 656; cf.: “(terra) Rara sit an supra morem si densa requiras ... Densa magis Cereri, rarissima quaeque Lyaeo,Verg. G. 2, 227 sq.; 1, 419: “textura,Lucr. 4, 196; cf. “retia,Verg. A. 4, 131; Hor. Epod. 2, 33: “tunica,Ov. Am. 1, 5, 13; and: “cribrum,id. M. 12, 437: “rariores silvae,the thinner, clearer parts of the forest, Tac. Agr. 37: “seges,Col. 2, 9, 6: “corpus (opp. solidae res),Lucr. 1, 347; 2, 860; 6, 631 al.: “aër,id. 2, 107; cf. in the comp., id. 6, 1024: “manus,” i.e. with the fingers spread apart, Quint. 11, 3, 103: “raraque non fracto vestigia pulvere pendent,” i.e. scarcely visible, Stat. Th. 6, 640.—
II. Transf.
A. Of things which stand apart from each other, far apart, here and there, scattered, thin, scanty ( = disjectus; “opp. densus, confertus): cum raris disjectisque ex aedificiis pabulum conquireretur,Hirt. B. G. 8, 10; cf.: “vides habitari in terrā raris et angustis in locis,scattered, Cic. Rep. 6, 19, 20: “apparent rari nantes,Verg. A. 1, 118: “foramina,Lucr. 5, 457: “bacae expanduntur rarae,Plin. 17, 10, 11, § 60: “frutices in vertice,Ov. H. 10, 25: “coma,id. Am. 1, 8, 111; cf. capillus. Suet. Calig. 50: “racemi,Verg. E. 5, 7: “umbra,id. ib. 7, 46: “arbores,Nep. Milt. 5, 3: “tela,Ov. M. 12, 600 et saep. — Poet.: “manat rara meas lacrima per genas,drop by drop, Hor. C. 4, 1, 34. —
2. In partic., in military lang., far apart, here and there, scattered about, dispersed, straggling, single (opp. confertus). accedebat huc, ut numquam conferti, sed rari magnisque intervallis proeliarentur, Caes. B. G. 5, 16; cf.: “rari in confertos illati,Liv. 23, 27: “ipsi ex silvis rari propugnabant,Caes. B. G. 5, 9; 5, 17; 7, 45; 7, 80; id. B. C. 1, 27 fin.: “Samnites raris ordinibus constiterant,Liv. 9, 27; Curt. 4, 14, 14: “rara est acies,Verg. A. 9, 508: “rarior acies,Tac. H. 3, 25; Front. Strat. 3, 10, 4: “rarior acies,Curt. 4, 15, 20: ut ordines suos non magnopere servarent. rari dispersique pugnarent, Caes. B. C. 1, 44; cf. Tac. Agr. 37 fin.; Front. Strat. 1, 5, 23.—
b. Mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose for the adv. raro, seldom, rarely: “nec Iliacos coetus nisi rarus adibat,Ov. M. 11, 766; cf.: “rarus, qui tam procul a portu recessisset, reperiebatur,Quint. 12, prooem. § 3; so, “rarus fuit, qui, etc.,id. 6, 2, 3: “antiquis scriptoribus rarus obtrectator,Tac. A. 4, 33; Sall. H. Fragm. 3, 22, p. 233 Gerl.: “Caesar rarus egressu,Tac. A. 15, 53; cf.: “leones rari in potu,Plin. 8, 16, 18, § 46: “(calculus) rarus inventu,id. 28, 15, 61, § 217; cf.: “helxine rara visu est,id. 21, 16, 56, § 96: “Homerus alias circa picturas pigmentaque rarus,” i. e. rarely speaks of them, id. 33, 7, 38, § 115
2. Poet., in partic., uncommon of its kind, scarce, rare, extraordinary, remarkable: “rara puella fuit,Prop. 1, 17, 16; so, “Cynthia,id. 1, 8, 42: “ministra deae,id. 4 (5), 11, 52; cf.: “rara quidem facie, sed rarior arte canendi,Ov. M. 14, 337: “facies,id. H. 17, 93 Ruhnk.: “vestis,Cat. 69, 3: “avis (sc. pavo),Hor. S. 2, 2, 26: “fides,id. C. 1, 35, 21: “artis opus rarae,Tib. 3, 4, 37: “patulis rarissima ramis,Ov. M. 7, 622: “rarissima turba,id. A. A. 2, 281: “rarissimi ingenii homo,Sen. Contr. 28: “conjux rarissima,Stat. S. 5, 1, 11.— Hence, adv., usually raro (class.), but sometimes rare (ante - class. and postAug.), rarenter (ante- and post - class.), or rariter (late Lat.).
B. Form rārē (acc. to I.), far apart, thinly, sparsely, here and there: “nisi rare conseritur, vanam et minutam spicam facit,Col. 2, 9, 5: “tenui vimine rarius contextus saccus,id. 9, 15, 12.—
2. (Acc. to II. B.) Of time, seldom, rarely: “vero rare capitur (piscis),Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 56.—
C. Form rārenter , seldom, rarely: “dato rarenter bibere,Cato, R. R. 103; so, rarenter, Liv. And., Enn., Caecil., Nov., Trab., Pompon. ap. Non. 515, 23 sq.; 164, 25 sq.; App. Flor. 3, p. 357, 22. —
D. Form rārĭter (very rare): quidquid fit rariter, magis delectat, Schol. Juv. 11, 208.
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