Hypertext Webster Gateway: "rarefied"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Rarefy \Rar"e*fy\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Rarefied}; p. pr. & vb.
n. {Rarefying}.] [F. rar['e]fier; L. rarus rare + -ficare (in
comp.) to make; cf. L. rarefacere. See {-fy}.]
To make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand or
enlarge without adding any new portion of matter to; --
opposed to condense.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
rarefied
adj 1: having low density; "rare gasses"; "lightheaded from the
rarefied mountain air" [syn: {rare}, {rarified}]
2: reserved for an elite group [syn: {rarified}]
3: of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or
style; "an exalted ideal"; "argue in terms of high-flown
ideals"- Oliver Franks; "a noble and lofty concept" [syn:
{exalted}, {high-flown}, {high-minded}, {lofty}, {rarified},
{idealistic}, {noble-minded}]
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