Rarities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Objects or occurrences that are uncommon or unique in nature
2. items of significant scarcity valued for their distinctiveness
3. instances of limited availability that attract interest due to their rarity

Etymology: "Rarities" is the plural of "rarity," so its history is that of the singular noun, which English took from French and Latin. The base word "rare" comes from Latin "rarus," meaning thin or widely spaced, and the Latin noun "rāritās" was formed from it, describing the state of being sparse or not densely packed. French then produced "rareté," and English borrowed the word in the form "rarity" from Middle French "rarité." The sense shifted from physical thinness to scarcity in general. Something that is thinly spread is seldom found in quantity, so the idea of few-of-a-kind came to dominate. In English, "rarity" now usually describes things that are valued because they are uncommon, from a rare coin to a rare bird, and the plural "rarities" names such collectible or remarkable objects and occurrences.

Synonyms: uniqueness, oddities, anomalies, exceptions, peculiarities

Antonyms: commonplaces, ordinaries, frequencies, conformities, banalities