| Text |
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary rar·e·fy
verb
also rar·i·fy \\-ə-ˌfī\\
(-fied ; -fy·ing) ETYMOLOGY Middle English rarefien, rarifien, modification of Latin rarefacere, from rarus rare + facere to make — more at do DATE 14th century transitive verb1. to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense : to expand without the addition of matter2. to make more spiritual, refined, or abstruseintransitive verb: to become less dense rarefy
late 14c., from O.Fr. rarefier (14c.), from M.L. rarificare, from L. rarefacere "make rare," from rarus "rare, thin" (see rare (1)) + facere "to make" (see factitious). Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged rar·e·fyverbalso rar·i·fy \-rəˌfī\
( -ed/-ing/-es) Etymology: rarefy from Middle English rarefien, from Middle French rarefier, modification (influenced by -fier -fy) of Latin rarefacere, irregular from rarus + facere to make, do; rarify from Middle English rarifien, from Medieval Latin rarificare, from Latin rarus + -ificare -ify — more at rare , do transitive verb1. : to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense : expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to — opposed to condense
< the expansive power of moisture rarified by heat — T.B.Macaulay >2. : to make more spiritual, refined, tenuous, or abstruse
< their wits are refined and rarefied — Ben Jonson >intransitive verb: to become less dense or gross : become rare
|