What does rarefy mean?

Definitions for rarefy
ˈrɛər əˌfaɪrar·efy

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word rarefy.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. rarefyverb

    lessen the density or solidity of

    "The bones are rarefied"

  2. rarefy, sublimate, subtilizeverb

    make more subtle or refined

  3. rarefy, attenuateverb

    weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)

Wiktionary

  1. rarefyverb

    To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense

  2. rarefyverb

    To expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To RAREFYverb

    To make thin: contrary to condense.

    Etymology: rarefier, Fr. rarus and facio, Lat. rarify were more proper.

    To the hot equator crouding fast,
    Where highly rarefied the yielding air
    Admits their steam. James Thomson.

  2. To Rarefyverb

    To become thin.

    Earth rarefies to dew; expanded more
    The subtil dew in air begins to soar. John Dryden, Fables.

Wikipedia

  1. rarefy

    Rarefaction is the reduction of an item's density, the opposite of compression. Like compression, which can travel in waves (sound waves, for instance), rarefaction waves also exist in nature. A common rarefaction wave is the area of low relative pressure following a shock wave (see picture). Rarefaction waves expand with time (much like sea waves spread out as they reach a beach); in most cases rarefaction waves keep the same overall profile ('shape') at all times throughout the wave's movement: it is a self-similar expansion. Each part of the wave travels at the local speed of sound, in the local medium. This expansion behaviour contrasts with that of pressure increases, which gets narrower with time until they steepen into shock waves. When angle of incidence is greater than angle of refraction, then light travels from denser to rarer medium. When angle of incidence is smaller than angle of refraction then light travels from rarer to denser medium

ChatGPT

  1. rarefy

    Rarefy refers to the process of making something less dense or less concentrated, often related to gases or substances in the atmosphere. It can also mean making something less frequent or making it more refined, elevated or spiritual in character.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Rarefyverb

    to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; -- opposed to condense

  2. Rarefyverb

    to become less dense; to become thin and porous

  3. Etymology: [F. rarfier; L. rarus rare + -ficare (in comp.) to make; cf. L. rarefacere. See -fy.]

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of rarefy in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of rarefy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1


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"rarefy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/rarefy>.

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