rare earth
noun
Simple meaning
Any element of the lanthanide series.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rehrurthSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɛˈɹɝθ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
chemistry
Any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71)
chemistry
Any of the naturally occurring oxides of the lanthanide metals; they are widely distributed in relatively small concentrations and are used in glassmaking, ceramic glazes etc.
A rare earth element.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any element of the lanthanide series (atomic numbers 57 through 71)
Used this way, rare earth is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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