reale

reale¹ real

Pronunciation

• /reˈa.le/^[1]

Forms

reale m or f by sense (plural reali)^[1]

Etymology

The adjective “real” is borrowed from Medieval Latin reālis (“relating to the thing”), a term of scholastic teaching formed from Latin rēs (“thing”).^[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary calls the Latin word Late Latin.^[1] It was opposed now to “personal”, now to “apparent”, and in the Romantic age to “ideal”.^[2] The same Latin word gave French réel and Spanish real.^[3]

The Latin noun first meant “goods, wealth”, as the cognate Sanskrit रयि (rayí, “property, goods”) shows; de Vaan reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís (“wealth, goods”).^[3][6][1] Through its accusative it gave French rien and Occitan ren, first “something”, then “nothing” in negative contexts, and it survives in Sardinian rese (“kind; beast”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Giovanni Villani, before 1348, in the sense “pertaining to a thing”.^[2][4] Villani writes that the returning Guelph exiles “promisono le fazioni reali e personali” (“promised the services due on property and in person”).^[7][8]

Semantic evolution

The modern sense “existing in objective reality” is first dated 1583 (Giovanni Andrea Dalla Croce), and the noun il reale “what exists” appears in Rosmini before 1855.^[2] Numero reale in mathematics is in the Zingarelli of 1942.^[2]

Many derivatives came through French or English: realizzare “to carry out” (1759, Algarotti) follows French réaliser, and its sense “to realize, understand” (1938) follows English realize;^[2][3] realismo in literature reflects French réalisme.^[2][3] In Tuscany reale can also mean “frank, sincere”.^[5][9]

Timeline

• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses reale “pertaining to property”.^[2]
• 1583 – Giovanni Andrea Dalla Croce uses it for what really exists.^[2]
• 1759 – Algarotti uses realizzare.^[2]
• Before 1855 – Rosmini uses il reale for what exists.^[2]
• 1938 – Realizzare “to understand” is noted as an English-influenced use.^[2]
• 1942 – Numero reale is recorded in the Zingarelli.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Real, actually existing or having happened: È una storia reale, non un romanzo.^{[4][10][5][1]}
2. Actual, effective: Vorrei capire le ragioni reali della sua scelta.^[4][10][11]
3. (philosophy) Existing in itself, independently of the knowing mind.^[4][10]
4. (law) Relating to a thing or property: diritto reale.^[4][10][11]
5. (economics) Measured by purchasing power, as opposed to nominal: salario reale.^[4][11][12]
6. (mathematics) Of a number, rational or irrational.^[4][5][11]
7. (Tuscan) Frank, sincere.^[4][5][9]

Noun

1. Il reale: reality, what really exists.^[4][11][5]

Word family

• realtà
• realmente
• realismo
• realista
• realistico
• realizzare
• realizzabile
• realizzazione
• realizzatore
• realizzo
• irreale
• irrealtà
• surreale

reale² royal

Pronunciation

• /reˈa.le/^[1]

Forms

reale m or f by sense (plural reali)^[1]

Etymology

The adjective “royal” is borrowed from Old French reial, from Latin rēgālis (“royal”), a derivative of rēx (“king”).^{[3][10][12][5]} GRADIT and the GDLI derive it from the Latin word with the influence of the Old French one, DEI calls it semi-learned, and Wiktionary leaves open whether it was borrowed or inherited.^{[4][13][14][1]} It is a doublet of regale.^[1]

The Latin adjective gave French royal, Old Occitan reial, Catalan real, Spanish real and Portuguese real; in Spanish and Portuguese the word is also the name of a coin.^[15][16]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Dante (1304–1308), in the sense “worthy of a king”.^[4][17] In the Inferno he says of a great figure “quanto aspetto reale ancor ritene” (“how royal a bearing he still keeps”).^[10][12]

Semantic evolution

Boccaccio speaks of the casa reale, and in Old Italian reale as a noun was a prince of the blood;^[14][8] Carducci used i reali for the king and queen.^[14][8] From the 16th century the word named a river that flows straight into the sea and a large paper size, and in 1569 the commander's galley, la Reale.^[14] German took the naval word as Reale in 1728.^[17]

As a noun reale was the gold coin struck by Charles I of Anjou in the 13th century, and later several gold and silver coins of the Aragonese and Spanish kingdoms, after Spanish real.^[14][18][4] The adjective also names the largest or finest kind in many animal and food names, such as aquila reale (golden eagle) and pappa reale (royal jelly).^[10][9]

Timeline

• 1304–1308 – Dante uses reale “worthy of a king”.^[4][17]
• 13th century – The coin reale is struck by Charles I of Anjou.^[14]
• 1569 – La Reale names the commander's galley.^[14]
• 1596 – English reale “royal” is recorded.^[17]
• 1728 – German Reale “flagship galley” is recorded.^[17]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of a king, royal: la famiglia reale.^{[4][10][5][1]}
2. (literary) Worthy of a king, regal.^[4][10][5]
3. Outstanding in size or quality, in names of animals and things: aquila reale.^[4][10][9]

Noun

1. I reali: the king and queen, the royal family.^[4][5][12]
2. (historical) A gold or silver coin of the Angevin, Aragonese and Spanish kingdoms.^[4][14][1]
3. (historical) The flagship galley of a fleet commanded by a king or viceroy.^[1][14]
4. (zoology) The fertile pair in a colony of termites and similar insects.^[4][5]