practicality

Etymology

It is formed from English practical + -ity.^[2][3] The OED compares the older noun practical for the sense of practical matters, and the older practicalness for the quality.^[2] Practical is from Medieval Latin practicalis, from practica (“practice”),^[2] and Etymonline traces the adjective to Late Latin practicus (“practical, active”), which is of Greek origin.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Practical matters or the practical side of something, in the plural: 1839, in the Lady's Book.^[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1809, in the sense of a concern with material things.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In 1845 the word was used for a single practical thing, a feasible option,^[2] and in 1841 Carlyle used it for the quality of being practical, or common sense.^[2] The two uses survive side by side: the quality, and in the plural the practical details of a situation as opposed to theory.^[4][5]

Timeline

• 1839 – in the plural, practical matters.^[2]
• 1841 – the quality of being practical; common sense.^[2]
• 1845 – a practical thing; a feasible option.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The quality or state of being practical: They doubted the practicality of the plan.^[5][4][2]
2. practicalities: the details of actually doing something, as opposed to theory or ideas: the practicalities of moving house.^[4][5][2]
3. A practical matter, or a thing that is practical.^[5][2]

Related words

• practical
• practice
• practicable

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster