?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 33 (MED) Childre, for her gluttry & rarenesse, or þynnez of body [L. raritatem corporis], renneþ more ofte in to scrophulez.

1614 W. B. tr. Philosophers Banquet (ed. 2) i. xix. 45 The lightnes and rarenesse of the substance.

1715 Philos. Trans. 1714–16 (Royal Soc.) 29 160 The extream Cold and Rareness of the Air in those upper Regions.

1857 R. Tomes Americans in Japan xii. 287 The not infrequent rains..give an occasional humidity and rareness to the atmosphere.

1897 Science 15 Oct. 587/2 These new results are confirmatory of the present view as to the extreme rareness of the vapors in the upper chromosphere.

1934 Waterloo (Iowa) Daily Courier 28 Mar. 2/2 (heading) Cabin designed to regulate rareness of stratosphere air.

a1530 T. Lupset Compend. Treat. Dyenge Well (1534) sig. Cvii^v Thinges that syldom chanse may sturre vp by their rarenes great feare.

1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Kvi^v Yf that the folly of men hadde not sette it in hygher estymacyon for the rarenes sake.

1620 T. Venner Via Recta iv. 74 It may be..doubted, whether it be so greatly esteemed for the rarenesse of it, or for the goodnesse of meate.

1721 R. Keith tr. Thomas à Kempis Soliloquy of Soul xviii, in tr. Thomas à Kempis Select Pieces II. 262 I rather accuse the Rareness than the Frequency of thy Approaches.

1795 Suppl. in tr. J.-M. Roland de La Platière Appeal to Impartial Posterity 159 A polite deportment, an agreeable vivacity, a smattering of wit, and, above all, the rareness of his visits, excused this little piece of address.

1854 Times 21 Jan. 12/2 The Navigation Committee discharge their duties efficiently, and the best evidence of this is..the rareness of complaints.

1884 Contemp. Rev. July 63 A noteworthy fact is the comparative rareness of ruined villages of the age of bronze.

1922 J. McCabe tr. P. Denis Argentine Republic iii. 72 The evenness of the temperature, together with..the rareness of frost.

1970 Classical Rev. 20 107/2 Salmon is to be congratulated on the clarity of his text and the rareness of awkward passages.

2007 Sunday Times (Nexis) 11 Mar. (News Review) 12 Am I the only person not surprised by the rareness of Michael's illness? How typical of Winner to contract such an exclusive disease.

1545 T. Elyot Preseruatiue agaynste Deth sig. Aiii If he be a knight, or in other authoritie (for the rarenesse of learnynge founden in suche men) the warke shal be muche the better imbraced, and of the moo men desyred.

1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 167 This kinde of Foule, both for the rarenesse, and also the greatnesse of theyr body, is at this day kept in great flockes.

1585 Abp. E. Sandys Serm. xviii. 308 Their prerogatiues..were manifolde, and for the preciousnesse and rarenesse of them most wonderful.

1613 S. Page Loue of Amos & Laura in Alcilia sig. L3^v In length and fairenesse, None might surpasse the workmanship and rarenes.

1683 J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) II. 185 The greatest master both for invention and rareness of work, that the world ever had.

1777 W. Young Spirit of Athens i. viii. 84 It is not alone..the peculiar rareness of the spirits..that can singly elevate the human character.

1857 Times 26 Aug. 11/1 The characteristics of a nature from the rareness and nobility of which little detraction must be made even on the score of his passion for play.

1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt III. xlv. 198 That childhood to which common things have rareness.

1927 T. E. Lawrence Let. 30 Dec. (1938) iv. 562 The soul of the great British public will be turned with rage at its surfeit of my rareness and virtuosity.

1973 C. A. Wilson Food & Drink in Brit. vi. 225 West Indian green turtles, said to be far superior to the other local varieties in wholesomeness and rareness of taste.

1992 Art Newspaper (BNC) 20 It simply assumes that the past is of consuming interest, and through its richness and rareness of reference..makes it so.

1562 P. Whitehorne tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre iii. f. xlii^v The Hastati..retired by a little and little, by the rarenesse of thorders betwene the Prencipi.

1568 in T. Thomson Acts & Proc. Kirk of Scotl. (1839) I. 133 Because of the rarenes of this Assemblie.

1610 J. Forbes Certaine Rec. (1846) x. 390 The said Assemblie..having weighed the rareness of their own number [etc.].

1615 G. Markham Eng. Hus-wife in Countrey Contentments ii. 54 To know when meate is rosted enough, for as too much rareness is vnwholsome, so too much drinesse is not nourishing.

1883 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daily Gaz. 30 Dec. 2/3 His eager directions to the waiter, regarding the necessity for rareness and juiciness in the beef.

1904 C. T. Herrick & ‘M. Harland’ Consolidated Libr. Mod. Cooking III. 211 Allow from ten to fifteen minutes to each pound of beef for cooking, in proportion to the degree of rareness liked.

1983 Times 27 Apr. 9 Grill for a further two to five minutes according to the thickness of the meat and the degree of rareness or doneness you enjoy.

2006 Philadelphia Daily News (Nexis) 5 Oct. 32 The 16-ounce Prime Rib..was well-cooked to the requested level of rareness.