Etymograph

English

unreal

Unreal 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 1899unreal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English unreal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1899, Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness: “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered,…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reeWiktionary, English unreal
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500realWiktionary, English unreal
  3. English1500–presentrealWiktionary, English unreal
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1899unrealWiktionary, English unreal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1899, Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness: “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered,…”

A compound of un- + real

Proto-Indo-European *n̥- ‘not, un-’

Proto-Germanic *un- ‘not, un-’

Proto-West Germanic *un- ‘not, un-’

English un-

Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís ‘wealth, goods’

…

Latin rēs ‘thing, matter’

Late Latin reālis ‘actual’

Old French reel

Middle English real ‘real, true’

English real

Linked words

through Middle English real

really, 8 more

through English real

realism, realist, realness, 7 more

Today it means

adj Not real or substantial; having no actual presence in reality; lacking the characteristics of reality.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “unreal”. 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 / unreal

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