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Rare vs Previous - What's the difference?

rare | previous |

As adjectives the difference between rare and previous

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 previous is prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.

As a verb rare

is (us|intransitive) to rear, rise up, start backwards.

As a noun previous is

(informal|uk) an existing criminal record; short for "previous convictions".

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)
  • (cooking, particularly meats) Cooked very lightly, so the meat is still red (in the case of steak or beef in the general sense).
  • * Dryden
    • New-laid eggs, which Baucis' busy care / Turned by a gentle fire, and roasted rare .
    Synonyms
    * (cooked very lightly) sanguinary
    Antonyms
    * (cooked very lightly) well done
    Derived terms
    * medium-rare

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) rare, from (etyl) rare, .

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Very uncommon; scarce.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
    • , title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.
  • (label) Thin; of low density.
    • Synonyms
    * (very uncommon) scarce, selcouth, seld, seldsome, selly, geason, uncommon
    Antonyms
    * (very uncommon) common
    Derived terms
    * rare bird * rare earth mineral
    Related terms
    * rarity

    Etymology 3

    Variant of rear .

    Verb

    (rar)
  • (US) To rear, rise up, start backwards.
  • * 2006 , Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day , Vintage 2007, p. 328:
    • Frank pretended to rare back as if bedazzled, shielding his eyes with a forearm.
  • (US) To rear, bring up, raise.
    • 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)
  • (obsolete) early
  • * Chapman
    • Rude mechanicals that rare and late / Work in the market place.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    previous

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (archaic)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Prior; occurring before something else, either in time or order.
  • * Thomson
    • The dull sound previous to the storm, / Rolls o'er the muttering earth.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
    • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=Foreword citation , passage=He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.}}
    He is no better than the previous Prime Minister.
  • (informal)  Premature; occurring too soon.
    • I thought that I had solved the problem, but I was a bit previous .

    Synonyms

    * former * late * old * See also

    Antonyms

    * future * following * next * succeeding

    Noun

    (-)
  • (informal, UK) An existing criminal record; short for "previous convictions".
    • It turned out the shoplifter had a lot of previous .
  • * November 2 2014 , Daniel Taylor, " Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk
    • For that Smalling will have to do his time grazing in the scapegoat’s paddock because his contribution here supplied hard evidence of a player lacking the football intelligence that is needed at the highest level. He has previous on that front and it is difficult to find any mitigation for the way he scythed down James Milner when the first rule for a defender on a yellow card is not to dive in unless it is absolutely necessary.

    Anagrams

    * *