Etymograph

English

realist

Realist comes from English real, and goes back to Old French ree.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ree1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500real1
  3. English1500–presentreal1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1946realist1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English realist
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy: “Aristotle's own doctrine is far from clear. It was…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reeWiktionary, English realist
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500realWiktionary, English realist
  3. English1500–presentrealWiktionary, English realist
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1946realistWiktionary, English realist. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy: “Aristotle's own doctrine is far from clear. It was…”

Linked words

through Middle English real

really, 9 more

through English real

unreal, realness, 8 more

Today it means

noun An advocate of realism; one who believes that matter, objects etc. have real existence beyond our perception of them.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “realist”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French ree / realist

Shirt and support for this word