Reals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Consisting of tangible, physical entities or occurrences
2. Denoting things that exist in actuality rather than in imagination or theory
3. Pertaining to the measurable elements of life, devoid of illusions or abstractions

Etymology: The plural "reals" is simply the plural of "real," and the most surprising thing about the word is that its adjective sense and its money sense come from two unrelated Latin roots that happen to look alike in English. The adjective descends from Latin "rēs," meaning "matter" or "thing," through Late Latin "reālis," meaning "actual." Its Old French form "reel" passed it into Middle English as "real," and the sense of genuine, existing fact is what it has carried ever since. The plural "reals" in your sense belongs to that adjective's line. Its meaning, measurable elements of life free of illusion or abstraction, follows directly from "actual" and "matter," so the word sits close to the original Latin idea of concrete things. Modern English also likely strengthened the form by association with the prefix "re-" and the suffix "-al," which may have reinforced its sense of something tangible and substantial.

Synonyms: actuals, existents

Antonyms: fictives, imaginaries