rara avis

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rara avis

/ˌɹɑːɹə ˈeɪvɪs/ UK
/ˌɹɛː-/ UK
/-ˈɑːvɪs/ UK
/-ˈævɪs/ UK
/ˌɹɑɹə ˈeɪvɪs/ US
/ˌɹɑːɹiː ˈeɪviːs/ UK
/ˌɹɑːɹaɪ-/ UK
/ˌɹɛːɹiː-/ UK
/ˌɹɛːɹaɪ-/ UK
/-ˈɑːviːs/ UK
/-ˈæviːs/ UK
/ˌɹɑɹi ˈeɪvis/ US

Rhymes with -eɪvɪs, -ævɪs

Where it comes from

Unadapted borrowing from Latin rāra avis (“rare bird”). The synonym rare bird is attested earlier. The term is a quotation from Satire VI (written late 1st century – early 2nd century C.E.) of the Roman poet Juvenal: “Rara avis in terris, nigroque simillima cygno [a bird as rare upon the earth as a black swan]!”.

The plural form rarae aves is a learned borrowing from Latin rārae avēs.

noun rara avises · rarae aves · raræ aves

A rare species or type of bird. Ramsay flung open the door. "Lord Fred—damn it we are all in the lurch!", he exclaimed, […] "my rara avises have taken wing and flown off." / "What were they actually, Ramsay?" asked Newbank. / "Two black swans," replied he—"the finest creatures ever were beheld, except another of the kind that is i
figuratively A rare or unique, and thus outstanding or unusual, person or thing; a rare bird. That Parsons girl is quite the rara avis if you ask me.
Similar: rarity, black swan, hen's tooth, lightning in a bottle, one in a million, rara avis, rare bird, rocking horse shit, unicorn

Translations

Every language

noun rare or unique, and thus outstanding or unusual, person or thing

Español	bicho raro, mirlo blanco
Português	ave rara, raridade
Français	oiseau rare, merle blanc
Deutsch	seltener Vogel, Paradiesvogel
Italiano	rara avis, mosca bianca
עברית	עוֹף מוּזָר 'of muzár

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MLA

"rara avis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rara%20avis. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

rara avis. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rara%20avis

Chicago

"rara avis." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rara%20avis.

BibTeX

@misc{rara_avis_2026,
  title = {rara avis},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rara%20avis},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}