Hypertext Webster Gateway: "rarefy"
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 Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Rarefy \Rar"e*fy\, v. i.
To become less dense; to become thin and porous. ``Earth
rarefies to dew.'' --Dryden.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
rarefy
v 1: lessen the density or solidity (of a substance); "The bones
are rarefied"
2: make more subtle or refined [syn: {sublimate}, {subtilize}]
3: weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance) [syn: {attenuate}]
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