Rare vs Special - What's the difference?
rare | special |
(cooking, particularly meats) Cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red (in the case of steak or beef in the general sense).
* Dryden
Very uncommon; scarce.
* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=
, title= (label) Thin; of low density.
(US) To rear, rise up, start backwards.
* 2006 , Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day , Vintage 2007, p. 328:
(US) To rear, bring up, raise.
(obsolete) early
* Chapman
Distinguished by a unique or unusual quality.
Of particular interest or value; certain; dear; beloved; favored.
(euphemistic, derogatory) Retarded; mentally handicapped
Constituting or relating to a species.
Chief in excellence.
* Shakespeare
A reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered.
(broadcasting) Unusual or exceptional episode of a series
(British, colloquial) A special constable.
Anything that is not according to normal practice, plan, or schedule, as an unscheduled run of transportation that is normally scheduled.
(video games) special move
* 1995 , "Tony Pordon", Tekken Review [PSX]'' (on newsgroup ''rec.games.video.misc )
As adjectives the difference between rare and special
is that rare is (cooking|particularly meats) cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red (in the case of steak or beef in the general sense) or rare can be very uncommon; scarce or rare can be (obsolete) early while special is distinguished by a unique or unusual quality.As a verb rare
is (us|intransitive) to rear, rise up, start backwards.As a noun special is
a reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered.rare
English
Etymology 1
From a dialectal variant of rear, from (etyl) rere, from (etyl) . More at (l).Alternative forms
* (l), (l) (UK)Adjective
(en-adj)- New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care / Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare .
Synonyms
* (cooked very lightly) sanguinaryAntonyms
* (cooked very lightly) well doneDerived terms
* medium-rareEtymology 2
From (etyl) rare, from (etyl) rare, .Adjective
(er)David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
Wild Plants to the Rescue, volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.
Synonyms
* (very uncommon) scarce, selcouth, seld, seldsome, selly, geason, uncommonAntonyms
* (very uncommon) commonDerived terms
* rare bird * rare earth mineralEtymology 3
Variant of rear .Verb
(rar)- Frank pretended to rare back as if bedazzled, shielding his eyes with a forearm.
Usage notes
* (rft-sense) Principal current, non-literary use is of the present participle raring' with a verb in "'''raring''' to". The principal verb in that construction is ''go''. Thus, '''''raring''' to go'' ("eager (to start something)") is the expression in which '''''rare is most often encountered as a verb.Etymology 4
Compare rather, rath.Adjective
(en adjective)- Rude mechanicals that rare and late / Work in the market place.
Anagrams
* ----special
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- a special episode of a television series
- Everyone is special to someone.
- He goes to a special school.
- The seven dark spots is a special property unique to ''Coccinella septempunctata''.
- The king hath drawn / The special head of all the land together.
Derived terms
* special attack * special constable * special defense * special delivery * special education / special ed * special forces * specialisation / specialization * specialise / specialize * specialist * speciality, specialty * specially * specialness * Special Olympics * special opsNoun
(en noun)- We're running a special on turkey for Thanksgiving.
- Thousands came to see the special that carried the President's coffin.
- Using the right moves, you can sometimes chain 2 specials in a row to form multiple hit combos.