realitas

Forms

reālitās f (genitive reālitātis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin reālis (“real”) + -tās.^[1][2][3] It is the source of French réalité, Italian realtà and Spanish realidad,^[1][4] and, partly through French, of English reality.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A charter of King Louis VI of France from 1120 has it in a list of rights, in the sense of “property, land”.^[6] In the philosophical sense it is recorded about 1301, in the Oxford disputations (Quaestiones Oxonienses).^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In scholastic philosophy it meant the quality of being real or of actually existing, and the real nature of a thing;^[2] Duns Scotus speaks of one thing having virtually two realities.^[2] Ecclesiastical Latin keeps it for “reality”.^[7] English took it in the 1540s, from French and directly from Medieval Latin.^[5]

Timeline

• 1120 – A charter of Louis VI uses it for property.^[6]
• c. 1301 – Oxford disputations use it for the quality of being real.^[2][3]
• 1540s – Borrowed into English as reality.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin, philosophy) reality, real existence; the real nature of a thing.^[2][7][1]
2. (Medieval Latin) property, land.^[6]

Related words

• rēs

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson