réel French · revision 17546

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1283, Beaumanoir|origins=la rēs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁe.ɛl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''réel''' (feminine réelle, masculine plural réels, feminine plural réelles)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old and Middle French also [[m|fro|real]]; the Académie wrote ''reel'' in 1694 and 1718, ''réel'' from 1740.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-lat|reālis|t=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).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(FEW|10, 133a) The Latin word is formed with ⟨-ālis⟩ on [[m|la|rēs|t=thing; property; reality]] (see [[rien]]).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005) Rey notes that it entered French twice: first in law, then in philosophy and common use.^(DHLF 1992) The adverb [[réellement]] is attested earlier, from the 12th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Beaumanoir's ''Coutumes de Beauvaisis'' (1283) distinguish ''demandes personeus'' and ''demandes reeles'', claims concerning persons and claims concerning things.^(TLFi)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In law ''réel'' is still opposed to ''personnel'' and is close to “immovable” (''droit réel'', ''tailles réelles'', Cotgrave 1611).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) 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.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Pascal uses ''le réel'' as a noun, “real things, real life” (1657–1662).^(TLFi)

+

+ La Bruyère (1688) has it for “genuine”, and before a noun it came to mean “notable” (Lamartine, 1831).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) 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).^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 12th century – The adverb ''relment''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1283 – ''Demandes reeles'', in Beaumanoir.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1485 – ''Real'' “existing in fact”.^(TLFi)

+ * 1575 – ''Reale presence'', in Thevet.^(TLFi)

+ * 1580 – ''Reel'', in Montaigne.^(TLFi)

+ * 1657–1662 – ''Le réel'', in Pascal.^(TLFi)

+ * 1872 – ''Nombre réel''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1968 – ''Temps réel''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|real|alt=Real]], actual, existing in fact: ''un fait réel'', ''un personnage réel'' (as opposed to fictional).^(Le Robert)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # Genuine, true: ''des difficultés réelles''; before the noun, considerable: ''un réel plaisir''.^(Le Robert)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(law)'' Relating to things or property, as opposed to persons: ''droit réel''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+ # ''(theology)'' ''Présence réelle'': the [[m|en|Real Presence]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' ''Nombre réel'': a [[m|en|real number]], ''(optics)'' ''image réelle'', ''(computing)'' ''temps réel''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''Le réel'': reality, what exists.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[réaliser]]

+ * [[réalisme]]

+ * [[réalité]]

+ * [[réellement]]

+ * [[irréel]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[rien]]

+ * [[la|reālis]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}