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The meaning of RARA AVIS is someone or something that is rare : rarity. How to use rara avis in a sentence.
Jul 21, 2024 · rara avis (plural rara avises or rarae aves or (obsolete) raræ aves) A rare species or type of bird.
Rara avis definition: a rare person or thing; rarity.. See examples of RARA AVIS used in a sentence.
Latin phrase meaning literally a ‘rare bird’; a phenomenon, a prodigy. The expression comes from the Roman satirist Juvenal (ad c.60–130), ‘Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cycno [A rare bird on this earth, like nothing so much as a black swan].’
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun rara avis. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Apr 22, 2021 · A phrase used of Horace's peacock (a Roman delicacy), Juvenal's black swan ("Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno"). A figure perhaps natural to the superstitious Romans, who divined by bird-watching.
Rara Avis definition: An unusual or extraordinary person or thing; rarity.
Define rara avis. rara avis synonyms, rara avis pronunciation, rara avis translation, English dictionary definition of rara avis. n. pl. ra·ra a·vis·es or ra·rae a·ves A rare or unique person or thing.
Someone or something that is rare and special. From Latin, literally "rare bird." A bride who's calm on her wedding day isn't exactly a rara avis, despite what movies and TV shows depict. Wow, look at that classic car! A true rara avis. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved. See also:
The words "very scanty" are used most advisedly, for in very truth the American historian is a rara avis.
