rarefy
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Rarefy — Rar e*fy, v. i. To become less dense; to become thin and porous. Earth rarefies to dew. Dryden. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
rarefy — late 14c., from O.Fr. rarefier (14c.), from M.L. rarificare, from L. rarefacere make rare, from rarus rare, thin (see RARE (Cf. rare) (1)) + facere to make (see FACTITIOUS (Cf. factitious)). Related: Rarefied … Etymology dictionary
rarefy — *thin, attenuate, extenuate, dilute Analogous words: diminish, reduce, lessen, *decrease: *expand, distend, inflate … New Dictionary of Synonyms
rarefy — meaning ‘to make or become less dense or solid’, is spelt efy, not rarify … Modern English usage
rarefy — [rer′ə fī΄] vt., vi. rarefied, rarefying [ME rarefien < MFr rarefier < L rarefacere < rarus,RARE1 + facere, to make, DO1] 1. to make or become thin, or less dense [the rarefied mountain air] 2. to make or become more refin … English World dictionary
rarefy — rarefiable, adj. rarefier, n. /rair euh fuy /, v., rarefied, rarefying. v.t. 1. to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas. 2. to make more refined, spiritual, or exalted. v.i. 3. to become rare or less dense; become thinned:… … Universalium
rarefy — rar•e•fy [[t]ˈrɛər əˌfaɪ[/t]] v. fied, fy•ing 1) chem. phs to make rare or rarer; make less dense: to rarefy a gas[/ex] 2) to make more refined or spiritual 3) phs to become less dense; become thinned • Etymology: 1350–1400; ME < MF rarefier « … From formal English to slang
rarefy — also rarify verb ( fied; fying) Etymology: Middle English rarefien, rarifien, modification of Latin rarefacere, from rarus rare + facere to make more at do Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense ; to… … New Collegiate Dictionary
rarefy — verb a) To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense b) To expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to. Syn … Wiktionary
