real English · revision 1790

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1325|origins=la rēs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /rɪəl/ ''(UK)''; /riːl/, /ˈriː.əl/ ''(US)''^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|real]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(MED) [[bor|xno|real]], Old French [[m|fro|rëel]], [[m|fro|rëal|t=real, actual]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) and later directly from [[la-lat|reālis|t=actual]], in Medieval Latin “belonging to the thing itself, relating to things (in law)”,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)^(SOED 2002) from [[la|rēs|t=thing, matter; property, goods]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Barnhart and Merriam-Webster relate ''rēs'' to [[sa|रयि|tr=rayí|t=property, wealth]];^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline, following de Vaan, traces it to [[ine-pro|*Hreh-i-|t=wealth, goods]].^(Etymonline) A different word ''real'', “royal, regal”, from Old French, was used in Middle English and early modern English;^(SOED 2002)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MED) Weekley suggests it influenced ''real'' as a trade description of superior goods.^(Weekley 1921) The coin ''real'' is from [[es|real|t=royal]], from [[la|rēgālis|t=royal]] (see [[regal]]).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(AHD)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Having physical existence, actual (before 1325 in Barnhart, early 14th century in Etymonline);^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MED) the Concise and New Oxford, however, give the first use as a late Middle English legal term, “relating to things, especially real property”.^(COED 2004)^(NODE 1998)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In law ''real'' has meant “relating to things” as opposed to persons since the 15th century, especially of immovable property such as land and buildings (1434), and of actions for the recovery of a specific thing (1444);^(HTOED)^(Barnhart 1988)^(SOED 2002) ''real estate'' as an exact term dates from the 1660s.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins notes that real property is so called because it is immovable, the opposite of personal property.^(Cresswell 2021) The sense “genuine, authentic” is recorded from 1440 in Barnhart and the 1550s in Etymonline,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) “true, corresponding to fact” from 1440,^(HTOED) and in philosophy “existing in fact, not merely in appearance or thought” from 1603.^(HTOED)^(OED 1989) In mathematics, a ''real'' quantity (as opposed to an imaginary one) is found from 1668 in the Historical Thesaurus, and ''real number'' from 1909.^(HTOED)^(Barnhart 1988) The adverb “really, very”, as in ''real nice'', dates from the mid-17th century and is American in modern use;^(Barnhart 1995)^(HTOED)^(Weekley 1921) Bartlett noted it in 1848.^(Bartlett 1848) The sense “unaffected, no-nonsense” dates from 1847, ''the real thing'' from 1818, ''real time'' in computing from 1953, and the slang ''get real'' from the 1960s, becoming widely popular about 1987.^(Etymonline)^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1325 – having physical existence.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MED)

+ * 1434 – in law, of immovable property.^(HTOED)

+ * 1440 – genuine, true.^(Barnhart 1995)^(HTOED)

+ * 1444 – in law, of an action for a thing.^(Barnhart 1988)^(HTOED)

+ * 1555 – the Spanish coin.^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1603 – in philosophy, existing in fact.^(HTOED)

+ * 1615 – as a noun, a real thing.^(MWU 2024)^(HTOED)

+ * 1658 – as an adverb.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1666 – ''real estate''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1668 – of a number, not imaginary.^(HTOED)

+ * 1847 – unaffected, no-nonsense.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1909 – ''real number''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1953 – ''real time''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1960s – ''get real'' (US slang).^(Etymonline)^(GDoS)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Actually existing or occurring; not imaginary or supposed: ''a real illness''.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Genuine; not artificial or [[counterfeit]]: ''real gold''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Rightly so called; worthy of the name: ''a real friend''.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+ # Sincere; free of pretence.^(AHD)^(RHWU)

+ # Serious; significant: ''a real danger''.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+ # ''(economics)'' Adjusted for changes in the value of money: ''real income''.^(COED 2004)^(Black's Law 2004)

+ # ''(law)'' Relating to fixed or immovable property such as land and buildings: ''real property''.^(MW Collegiate)^(Black's Law 2004)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' Of a number, having no [[imaginary number|alt=imaginary]] part.^(Chambers 2008)^(HTOED)

+ # ''(philosophy)'' Existing objectively, independent of thought or language.^(AHD)^(COED 2004)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # ''(informal, chiefly North America)'' Very; really: ''real nice''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Chambers 2008)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(the real)'' That which actually exists; reality.^(AHD)^(MWU 2024)

+ # A real number.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America; a former monetary unit of Portugal; the basic monetary unit of Brazil.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[realness]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[regal]]

+ * [[royal]]

+ * [[milreis]]

+ * [[reality]]

+ * [[realize]]

+ * [[really]]

+ * [[realism]]

+ * [[realty]]

+ * [[rebus]]

+ * [[republic]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The American Heritage Dictionary distinguishes ''real'', which implies that something is genuine or matches what it purports to be, from ''actual'', “existing and not merely possible”, and ''true''.^(AHD)^(RHWU) Merriam-Webster notes that most handbooks regard the adverb ''real'' as informal and more suited to speech; it is used only as an intensifier and is not interchangeable with ''really'' in other uses.^(MW Collegiate)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}