Etymologically
Log in

realm

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 06:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
← Previous version Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹɛlm/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English reaume, rem, later realme,[2][3][4] borrowed from Old French reaume (“kingdom”), realme (modern French royaume),[3][4][5] probably from Gallo-Romance *regiminem, formed on Latin regimen, rule, government (see regimen),[2][4][3][6] or perhaps from Vulgar Latin *regalimen, a kingdom, from rēgālis.[4] The -l- came from the influence of Old French reial, royal (Latin rēgālis; see regal, royal),[2][3][7][6] and the spelling realm became standard about 1600.[3][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A kingdom: about 1290 in the OED, probably before 1300 in Barnhart.[8][2]

Semantic evolution

The kingdom of heaven is from before 1340.[8] The transferred sense, a sphere of activity, power or influence, is attested from the late 14th century,[4] about 1374 in the OED,[8] and the domain of an abstract quality or state from 1667.[8] A primary zoogeographical division of the earth is from 1876.[8] The kingdom sense is now chiefly rhetorical or found in set phrases such as peer of the realm.[8][9]

Timeline

  • c. 1290 – a kingdom.[8]
  • before 1340 – the kingdom of heaven.[8]
  • c. 1374 – any sphere or region.[8]
  • c. 1600 – the spelling realm standard.[3]
  • 1667 – the domain of an abstract thing.[8]
  • 1876 – a zoogeographical region.[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A kingdom or royal domain.
  2. A field, sphere or province of activity or interest: the realm of science.

Word family

  • underrealm
  • unrealmed
  • coin of the realm
  • peer of the realm

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins