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Glite Dictionary
rara avis

rara avis

1 9.9
An unusual person or thing not often seen
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛrə ˈeɪvɪs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : rara avis
  • As a talented artist who only creates a few pieces each year, she is considered a rara avis in the creative community.

Examples

  • When it comes to problem-solving, he is a rara avis who approaches challenges with unique and innovative ideas.

  • You are a rara avis, and I respect you greatly for it.

    Blog text (23)

  • That would seem to make Debian a rara avis even among Linux fans.

    Blog text (8)

  • Finding someone with such a diverse skill set is like discovering a rara avis in the job market.

Synonyms

rarity
vsrara avis
31 6.2

Something that is not common and happens only sometimes

is about a specific unusual or exceptional person or thing rather than the quality
rare bird
vsrara avis
  • Informal
1 7.7

A person who is not like most people in behavior or ideas

is more strongly exceptional and uniquely unusual than that
unicum
vsrara avis
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who is very unusual and stands out from others

is broader highlighting exceptional uniqueness rather than mere eccentricity

Antonyms

typical
843 1.0

Having the usual qualities of a person, thing, or group

commonplace
54 3.4

Ordinary and not special or new

Surface Forms

rara avis singular
rarae aves plural

Morphology

rara + avis

The phrase literally combines Latin rara (‘rare’) + avis (‘bird’), so the compositional meaning 'rare bird' directly yields the sense 'a rare or unique person/thing'. This metaphorical extension is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

Rara avis comes from Latin and literally shows two words: rara 'rare' and avis 'bird'. Imagine a bird you almost never see — that strong picture made people call a very unusual person a rara avis, so today it means 'a rare or unique person or thing'.