English
surreal
Surreal comes from French surréalisme ‘surrealism’, from réalisme ‘realism’, and ultimately from Old French reel.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reel1
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600real1
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréel1‘real’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréalisme1‘realism’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsurréalisme1‘surrealism’
- English1500–presentsurrealism1
- Englishearliest quotation 2016surreal1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English surreal
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Dave Bry, 'Surreal' is Merriam-Webster's word of the year. Sounds abou: “Three weeks after the second Time meltdown cover, one…”.
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400reelWiktionary, English surreal
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600realWiktionary, English surreal
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréelWiktionary, English surreal‘real’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentréalismeWiktionary, English surreal‘realism’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsurréalismeWiktionary, English surreal‘surrealism’
- English1500–presentsurrealismWiktionary, English surreal
- Englishearliest quotation 2016surrealWiktionary, English surreal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Dave Bry, 'Surreal' is Merriam-Webster's word of the year. Sounds abou: “Three weeks after the second Time meltdown cover, one…”
Linked words
through Middle French real
Today it means
adj Resembling a dream: fantastic and incongruous.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “surreal”. 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 reel / surreal