Etymograph

English

rarefact

Rarefact comes from Middle French raréfaction.

  1. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600raréfaction1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013rarefact1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rarefact
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Beth Schrope: “As the ultrasound wave compresses and rarefacts through the…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600raréfactionWiktionary, English rarefact
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2013rarefactWiktionary, English rarefact. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, Beth Schrope: “As the ultrasound wave compresses and rarefacts through the…”

Every English word from Middle French raréfaction

Today it means

verb To reduce in density.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rarefact”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle French raréfaction / rarefact

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