English
irreal
Irreal comes from Latin irrealis, from reālis ‘real, material, tangible, composed of physical…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís ‘wealth, goods’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*reh₁ís‘wealth, goods’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*reis‘thing, matter’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEres‘thing’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreālis‘real, material, tangible, composed of physical things’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEirrealis
- Englishearliest quotation 2012irreal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*reh₁ís‘wealth, goods’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*reis‘thing, matter’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEres‘thing’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreālis‘real, material, tangible, composed of physical things’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEirrealis
- Englishearliest quotation 2012irreal
Earliest quotation: 2012, T. Dant: “'Irreal' objects draw on our previous sensual experience but…”
Linked words
through Latin res ‘thing’
through Latin reālis ‘real, material, tangible, composed of physical…’
Today it means
adj Synonym of intangible, immaterial, not composed of things, having no concrete existence.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís / irreal