Realizations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Acts of becoming aware of something or understanding it clearly ; acts of making something real or bringing it into existence
2. Instances of recognizing or comprehending facts or truths ; processes of turning ideas, plans, or potential into reality
3. Moments when something is understood or perceived consciously ; efforts or events that cause theoretical concepts or goals to become real or concrete

Etymology: The word "realization" is a noun built from "realize" plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or its result. The verb is the more interesting half. "Real" comes from Latin "reālis," derived from "rēs," meaning "thing" or "matter," so something real is literally something belonging to the things themselves rather than to imagination. English "realize," in the sense of making something actual, came from French "réaliser," which in turn comes from the adjective "réel." Forms in French and English are built the same way: the French noun "réalisation" was formed from "réaliser" with "-ation," and English borrowed that noun pattern. The modern English sense of grasping something mentally came later than the older sense of bringing something into existence, so the "understanding" meaning grew out of the "making real" meaning. Thinking of a realization as a thing that has become real, whether a plan or a dawning insight, follows that shared origin.

Synonyms: understandings, awarenesses