rarefy

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: Moisture rarefies when heated.
[1350-1400; ME rarefien < MF rarefier < L rarefacere, equiv. to rare-, comb. form of rarus RARE1 (for expected rari-; orig. of -e- unclear) + facere to make; see -FY]

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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 — index cultivate, decontaminate Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • 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 — 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

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”