rara avis

noun

ra·​ra avis ˌrer-ə-ˈā-vəs 

ˌrär-ə-ˈä-wəs

plural rara avises ˌrer-ə-ˈā-və-səz  or rarae aves ˌrär-ˌī-ˈä-ˌwās 

: someone or something that is rare : rarity sense 2

Elizabeth Bishop was the anomaly, the rara avis, of her generation of poets …

—Harper's

It is easy to see why Ms. Hacker's early work had such an impact; a rara avis in the swamp of free verse, she writes villanelles, sestinas and sonnets …

—David Kirby

And she has become that rara avis, a serious medievalist with a popular following.

—Patrick J. Geary

The Bob Dorough-Dave Frishberg concert at Kaye Playhouse on June 19 is sure to sell out, combining two comparable rarae aves—clever, storytelling jazz songwriters.

—Ben Ratliff

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Sitting in the center, with a passenger seat to the left and right, the lucky driver will feel equally at home in the US, the UK or anywhere a long stretch of pavement invites this rara avis to soar. —Robert Ross, Robb Report, 21 June 2021

Finding that rara avis of product design that combines pretty with practical is thrilling, and porcelain tile is both. —Sarah Baird, Good Housekeeping, 14 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Latin, rare bird

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above