réel

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʁe.ɛl/^[1]

Forms

réel (feminine réelle, masculine plural réels, feminine plural réelles)^[1] Old and Middle French also real; the Académie wrote reel in 1694 and 1718, réel from 1740.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin reālis (“real, actual”), a word of the 4th century, used in medieval philosophy for “existing in itself” and in law for “relating to things” (1198–1199).^[3][2][4][5] The Latin word is formed with ⟨-ālis⟩ on rēs (“thing; property; reality”) (see rien).^[3][2][6] Rey notes that it entered French twice: first in law, then in philosophy and common use.^[2] The adverb réellement is attested earlier, from the 12th century.^[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Beaumanoir's Coutumes de Beauvaisis (1283) distinguish demandes personeus and demandes reeles, claims concerning persons and claims concerning things.^[3][8]

Semantic evolution

In law réel is still opposed to personnel and is close to “immovable” (droit réel, tailles réelles, Cotgrave 1611).^[3][2] The sense “that exists in fact” is found as real about 1380 and 1485, and as reel in Montaigne (1580); in theology the présence réelle of Christ in the Eucharist is from 1575.^[3][2] Pascal uses le réel as a noun, “real things, real life” (1657–1662).^[3]

La Bruyère (1688) has it for “genuine”, and before a noun it came to mean “notable” (Lamartine, 1831).^[3][2] Technical uses followed in optics (foyer réel, 1765), mathematics (quantités réelles 1829, nombre réel 1872), music, grammar (sujet réel, 1932) and computing (temps réel, 1968).^[3]

Timeline

• 12th century – The adverb relment.^[2]
• 1283 – Demandes reeles, in Beaumanoir.^[3]
• c. 1485 – Real “existing in fact”.^[3]
• 1575 – Reale presence, in Thevet.^[3]
• 1580 – Reel, in Montaigne.^[3]
• 1657–1662 – Le réel, in Pascal.^[3]
• 1872 – Nombre réel.^[3]
• 1968 – Temps réel.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Real, actual, existing in fact: un fait réel, un personnage réel (as opposed to fictional).^[9][10]
2. Genuine, true: des difficultés réelles; before the noun, considerable: un réel plaisir.^[9][2]
3. (law) Relating to things or property, as opposed to persons: droit réel.^[10][8]
4. (theology) Présence réelle: the Real Presence.^[10][2]
5. (mathematics) Nombre réel: a real number, (optics) image réelle, (computing) temps réel.^[10][1][3]

Noun

1. Le réel: reality, what exists.^[11][10]

Word family

• réaliser
• réalisme
• réalité
• réellement
• irréel

Related words

• rien
• Latin reālis

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 10, 133a
6. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
10. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
11. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)