(adj.adv.adv.) : rārus, a, um, adj.etym. dub.; cf. Sanscr. root rah-, to abandon
* Having wide interstices between its parts, of a loose texture, not thick or dense, thin (opp. densus; freq. and class.).
* 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.
* Transf.
* 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.
* 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.
* Of any thing found in small numbers or which seldom takes place, few, rare (cf. paucus): in omni arte ... ut in ipsă virtute, optimum quidque rarissimum,Cic. Fin. 2, 25, 81; cf.: rarum genus (amicorum) et quidem omnia praeclara rara,id. Lael. 21, 79: raris ac prope nullis portibus,Caes. B. G. 3, 12 fin.; cf.: etiamsi rarus ejus rei, nonnullus tamen usus,Quint. 8, 6, 30: rarus enim est animus ad ea defendenda,Sall. H. 3, 61, 7 Dietsch: Idem rarum est, non sine usu tamen,Quint. 5, 11, 42: rari domos, plurimi amicorum tecta ... petivere,Tac. H. 1, 79 fin.: Oceanus raris ab orbe nostro navibus aditur,id. G. 2: aliquod solitarium aut rarum,Cic. Inv. 1, 44, 83: ut anteponantur rara vulgaribus,id. Top. 18, 69: litterae,Liv. 6, 1; cf. id. 7, 3: rara hostium apparebant arma,id. 2, 50: lites,Quint. 7, 1, 43: infelicitas,id. 11, 2, 49: quae (littera) est apud nos rarissima in clausulis,id. 12, 10, 31: quod est magis rarum,id. 9, 2, 73: ex maxime raro genere hominum,Cic. Lael. 17, 64; cf. Quint. 7, 3, 25: raris vocibus hisco,Verg. A. 3, 314: rara per ignotos errent animalia montes,id. E. 6, 40: audiet pugnas vitio parentum Rara juventus,Hor. C. 1, 2, 24. —Rarum est, with ut: rarum est, ut, etc.,Quint. 3, 10, 3; 6, 3, 38; 10, 7, 24: rarum dictu, esse aliquid, cui prosit neglegentia,Plin. 18, 16, 39, § 140.
* 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
* Form rārō: raro nimium dabat quod biberem,Plaut. Cist. 1, 1, 20: potavi, edi, donavi, et enim id raro,id. Bacch. 4, 10, 6: si id, quod raro fit, fieri omnino negetur,Cic. Inv. 1, 43, 80: evenire insolenter et raro (opp. vulgo),id. ib. 1, 28, 43: vinum aegrotis prodest raro, nocet saepissime,id. N. D. 3, 27, 69; id. de Or. 3, 52, 101; cf. id. Or. 24, 80: sed tamen raro habet in oratione poeticum aliquod verbum dignitatem,id. de Or. 3, 38, 153: raro antecedentem scelestum Deseruit poena,Hor. C. 3, 2, 31: admodum raro, Cic. Fat. Fragm. ap. Macr. S. 2, 12; for which we find raro admodum,Quint. 11, 1, 14; Plin. 2, 50, 51, § 135: raro umquam,Quint. 4, 1, 4; 5, 7, 22; Plin. 22, 22, 46, § 93: ita raro,Cic. Rosc. Am. 13, 37: sic raro,Hor. S. 2, 3, 1: tam raro,Ov. M. 13, 117: quam raro,Plaut. Bacch. 4, 4, 25: perquam raro,Plin. 37, 4, 15, § 55.— Comp.: quod si rarius fiet, quam tu exspectabis,Cic. Fam. 1, 7, 1.— Sup.: istud rarissime accidere,Col. 5, 5, 7: non affari nisi rarissime,Suet. Claud. 3.
* 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.
* (Acc. to II. B.) Of time, seldom, rarely: vero rare capitur (piscis),Plaut. Rud. 4, 3, 56.
* 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.
* Form rārĭter (very rare): quidquid fit rariter, magis delectat, Schol. Juv. 11, 208.

s. TLL