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reality

/ɹiːˈælɪti/ noun

In Latin: natura, eventus, veritas Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about reality at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. All of your experiences that determine how things appear to you.
    his world was shattered
  2. The state of being actual or real.
    the reality of his situation slowly dawned on him
  3. The state of the world as it really is rather than as you might want it to be.
    businessmen have to face harsh realities

Origin

From French réalité (“quality of being real”), from Middle French realité (“property, possession”), from Medieval Latin reālitās, from Late Latin reālis (“real”), equivalent to real + -ity. Recorded since 1550 as a legal term in the sense of “fixed property” (compare real estate, realty); the sense “real existence” is attested from 1647. First attested in c. 1540.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)