# rara avis

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌɹɑːɹə ˈeɪvɪs/

## Definitions
1. A rare species or type of bird.
2. A rare or unique, and thus outstanding or unusual, person or thing; a rare bird.

## Etymology
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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rara-avis