rarity

[ rair-i-tee ]

/ ˈrɛər ɪ ti /

something rare, unusual, or uncommon: Snowstorms are a rarity in the South.

something esteemed or interesting in being rare, uncommon, or curious: That folio is a rarity that will bring a good price.

the state or quality of being rare.

rare occurrence; infrequency: Volcanic eruptions on the island occur with great rarity.

unusual excellence.

thinness, as of air or a gas.

Origin of rarity

1550–60; < Latin rāritās thinness, equivalent to rār(us) rare¹ + -itās -ity

George H.W. Bush was that rarest of rarities: a genuinely modest man in the office of the presidency.

David Frum on How George H.W. Bush Was a Man of Greatness in Modesty |David Frum |October 8, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
But those who heaped abuse were the rarities, the people my friends and I laughed at.

Knesset Member Calls for Jailing of Human Rights Activists |Emily L. Hauser |June 1, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Are the rarities to become more and more rare, and at last fetch prodigious prices?

The Library |Andrew Lang
In their woods and fields, they have an unknown variety of vegetables, and other rarities of nature to discover and observe.

The History of Virginia, in Four Parts |Robert Beverley

The first compartment contains two of the rarities of the gardens—the satin bower-bird and the Tallagulla or brush-turkey.

Curiosities of Civilization |Andrew Wynter
The number of rarities brought together by the late Mr. James Goding was in every respect remarkable.

The Violin |George Hart
With some copies a supplement was issued, and collectors will not need to be advised to acquire these rarities.

The Bonadventure |Edmund Blunden

rarity

/ (ˈrɛərɪtɪ) /

a rare person or thing, esp something interesting or valued because it is uncommon

the state or quality of being rare