Realm Is a Royal Word That Escaped the Palace
A realm is a kingdom, or any field of activity. The word came from Latin regalis, royal, and then broadened.
A realm is a kingdom, and by extension any field of activity or thought. It began strictly royal: Old French *reaume* came from Latin *regalis*, royal, so a realm was territory under a king. English then let it drift into the abstract, so we speak of the realm of science or the realm of possibility with no monarch anywhere in sight. In British constitutional language *the realm* still means the kingdom itself, as in *defence of the realm*.
- A kingdom. *Defence of the realm.*
- A field of activity. *The realm of physics.*
- Within the realm of possibility. *Not beyond the realm.*
- Regal — royal. *Regal bearing.*
- Latin — *regalis*, royal. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | realm | A realm. |
| Plural | realms | Realms. |
| Related | regal | Regal. |
| Related | royal | Royal. |
| Latin | regalis | Royal. |
- Defence of the realm is a duty of state.Kingdom.
- That belongs to the realm of theory.Field.
- It is within the realm of possibility.Idiom.
The regalis family
- Realm — territory under a king, then any domain
- Regal — kingly in bearing
- Royal — the same word through a different French route
- Regime — a system of rule, from *regere*, to rule
- Regent — one who rules for another
Old French *reaume*, from Latin *regalimen*, from *regalis*, royal, from *rex*, king.
Are realm and royal related?
Yes. Both come from Latin regalis, royal, arriving in English by different French routes.
Can realm be used without a king?
Yes. The abstract sense, as in the realm of possibility, has been ordinary English for centuries.