English
irreality
Irreality comes from French réalité ‘reality’, from Latin reālis ‘existing in fact, having objective existence’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís ‘wealth, goods’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)reh₁ís‘wealth, goods’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*reis‘thing, matter’reconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēs‘thing, object, stuff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreālis‘existing in fact, having objective existence’
- Medieval Latinmodernreālitā
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréalité‘reality’
- English1500–presentreality
- Englishearliest quotation 2023irreality
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)reh₁ís‘wealth, goods’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*reis‘thing, matter’reconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēs‘thing, object, stuff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEreālis‘existing in fact, having objective existence’
- Medieval Latinmodernreālitā
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréalité‘reality’
- English1500–presentreality
- Englishearliest quotation 2023irreality
Earliest quotation: 2023, Vajra Chandrasekera, The Saint of Bright Doors: “But then the vision swamps that awareness, and he’s…”
Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís ‘wealth, goods’
…
Late Latin reālis ‘real’
Medieval Latin reālitās
Middle French realité ‘property, possession’
French réalité ‘quality of being real’
English reality
Linked words
through Classical Latin rēs ‘thing, object, stuff’
re, realise, realisation, rebus, 17 more
through Latin reālis ‘existing in fact, having objective existence’
Today it means
noun Unreality.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís / irreality