Rarefied

Rarefied
Rarefy Rar"e*fy (r[a^]r"[-e]*f[imac]; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rarefied} (r[a^]r"[-e]*f[imac]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Rarefying} (r[a^]r"[-e]*f[imac]`[i^]ng).] [F. rar['e]fier; L. rarus rare + -ficare (in comp.) to make; cf. L. rarefacere. See {-fy}.] To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; -- opposed to condense. [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • rarefied — [adj] exclusive cliquish, elevated, esoteric, exalted, lofty, private, select; concept 554 Ant. commonplace …   New thesaurus

  • rarefied — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of air) of lower pressure than usual; thin. 2) very esoteric or refined …   English terms dictionary

  • rarefied — [[t]re͟ərɪfaɪd[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n (disapproval) If you talk about the rarefied atmosphere of a place or institution, you are expressing your disapproval of it, because it has a special social or academic status that makes it very… …   English dictionary

  • rarefied — rar|e|fied [ˈreərıfaıd US ˈrer ] adj [usually before noun] 1.) a rarefied place, organization, or type of activity is only available to or understood by a small group of people used to show disapproval ▪ the rarefied atmosphere of academia 2.)… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • rarefied — adjective 1 often humorous rarefied ideas, opinions etc can only be understood by, or only involve, one small group of people: the rarefied atmosphere of international diplomacy 2 rarefied air is the air in high places, which has less oxygen than …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • rarefied — /rair euh fuyd /, adj. 1. extremely high or elevated; lofty; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium. 2. of, belonging to, or appealing to an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes. [1625 35; RAREFY + ED2] * * * …   Universalium

  • rarefied — rar|e|fied [ rerə,faıd ] adjective 1. ) intended for a small group of people who are especially intelligent, rich, powerful, etc. This word often shows that you think people like this believe they are better than ordinary people: a glimpse into… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • rarefied — UK [ˈreərɪfaɪd] / US [ˈrerəˌfaɪd] adjective 1) intended for a small group of people who are very intelligent, rich, powerful etc. This word often shows that you think people like this believe they are better than ordinary people a glimpse into… …   English dictionary

  • rarefied — rar•e•fied [[t]ˈrɛər əˌfaɪd[/t]] adj. 1) lofty or elevated; exalted: the rarefied atmosphere of a scholarly symposium[/ex] 2) appealing to or exemplifying an exclusive group; select; esoteric: rarefied tastes[/ex] • Etymology: 1625–35 …   From formal English to slang

  • rarefied — adjective a) Esoteric. The air at the top of a high mountain is rarefied. b) Less dense than usual …   Wiktionary

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