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Rearest vs Rarest - What's the difference?

rearest | rarest |

As adjectives the difference between rearest and rarest

is that rearest is superlative of rear while rarest is superlative of rare.

rearest

English

Adjective

(head)
  • (rear)

    • rear

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) reren, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l), (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To raise physically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
  • * (rfdate)
    • In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss; he reared me.
  • * (rfdate)
    • Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.
  • To construct by building; to set up
    • to rear defenses or houses
    to rear one government on the ruins of another.
  • * (rfdate)
    • One reared a font of stone.
  • To raise spiritually; to lift up; to elevate morally.
  • * (rfdate)
    • It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.
  • (obsolete) To lift and take up.
  • * (rfdate)
    • And having her from Trompart lightly reared , Upon his set the lovely load.
  • To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
  • * (rfdate)
    • He wants a father to protect his youth, and rear him up to virtue.
  • To breed and raise; as, to rear cattle (cattle-rearing).
  • (obsolete) To rouse; to strip up.
  • * (rfdate),
    • And seeks the tusky boar to rear.
  • To rise up on the hind legs, as a bolting horse.
    • Usage notes
    See note under raise.
    Synonyms
    * (rise up on the hind legs) prance * build * elevate * erect * establish * lift * raise
    Derived terms
    * raring

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) reren, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To move; stir.
  • (of geese) To carve.
    • Rere that goose!
    Related terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) rere, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l) * (l) (US)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (of eggs) Underdone; nearly raw.
  • (of meats) Rare.
    • Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 4

    (etyl) rere, ultimately from (etyl) retro. Compare arrear.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
    • Antonyms
    * front

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (British, dialect) early; soon
  • * (rfdate) .
    • Then why does Cuddy leave his cot so rear !

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last on order; - opposed to front.
  • * (rfdate)
    • Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.
  • (military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
  • * (rfdate) Milton
    • When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.
  • (anatomy) The buttocks, a creature's bottom
    • Synonyms
    * (buttocks) rear end

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To place in the rear; to secure the rear of.
  • (transitive, vulgar, British) To sodomize (perform anal sex)
    • Derived terms
    * rear admiral * rear echelon * rear end * rear front - (military), the rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position. * rear guard * rearhorse * rear line - (military), the line in the rear of an army. * rearmost * rearmouse * rear rank - (military), the rank or line of a body of troops which is in the rear, or last in order. * rear sight - (firearms ), the sight nearest the breech. * rearward * bring up the rear - to come last or behind. * rearing bit - a bit designed to prevent a horse from lifting his head when rearing.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    rarest

    English

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (rare)

    • Anagrams

    * * * * ----

    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

    * ----