seldseen means seldom seen, rare, uncommon. It carries an Arena rating of 1589, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, seldseen ranks #3,174 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,505 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,974 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #5,795 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “seldseen” is a great word
Describing that which is rarely seen or encountered, from Middle English seldscene, seltsene, derived from Old English seldsīene, seldsēne (“rare, extraordinary, unfamiliar, uncommon”), cognate with Old High German seltsāni and Modern German seltsam. Unlike “seldom,” which measures frequency, or “unusual,” which marks deviation from the norm, seldseen paints the thing itself with the patina of rarity. It is the flash of a comet’s tail against the deep field of night, the shy bloom of a night-blooming cereus witnessed only once a year, or the singular, unlooked-for kindness from a stranger in a crowded street—a quiet testament to all that persists, beautiful and unheralded, just beyond the common gaze.
Etymology
From Middle English seldscene, seltsene (“rarely encountered, seldom seen; rare; as adv. seldom, rarely”), from Old English seldsīene, seldsēne (“rare, extraordinary, unfamiliar, uncommon”). Cognate with Old High German seltsāni, Modern German seltsam.
adj
- seldom seen, rare, uncommone.g.“And seldseen costly stones of so great price.” — c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633,
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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