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rarely

rare·ly

Today it means: Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. Full definition →

First used 16th c.

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The story

From rare + -ly.

First known use, by meaning

from 16th c. Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often.
from 16th c. Unusually well; excellently.
from 16th c. To a rare degree; very.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.