Dictionary

realm en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /rɛːm/ (Early, Modern)
• (Australia) audio
• (US) audio
• /rɛlm/ (Early, Modern)
• rĕlm (UK, US)
• /ɹɛlm/ (UK, US)

Etymology

From Middle English rewme, realme, reaume, from Old French reaume, realme, reialme (“kingdom”), of unclear origins. A postulated *rēgālimen (“domain, kingdom”), Late Latin or Vulgar Latin cross of regimen with rēgālis is usually cited. The modern spelling predominates from around 1600. The modern pronunciation with /l/ is either a spelling pronunciation or influenced by the etymology.

Meanings

1. (archaic, rhetoric) A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom.
   • 1913, Leslie Alexander Toke, Catholic Encyclopedia, "St. Dunstan", Then seeing his life was threatened he fled the realm and crossed over to Flanders, […]
   • And, of this island realm, he and his companion were the undisputed sovereigns. 1874, Horatio Alger, “Chapter XXXI”, in Brave and Bold:
2. (archaic, qualifier:roleplaying games, rhetoric) A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom. ▸ An otherworldly dimension or domain — magical, ethereal, or otherwise.
3. (archaic, obsolete, rhetoric) A territory or state, as ruled by an absolute authority, especially by a king; a kingdom. ▸ The spiritual state of which God is the head; the Kingdom of Heaven.
4. (also, figuratively) A sphere of knowledge or of influence; a domain.
   • Why should we despise anything in the realm of Buddha? 1907, Tada Kanai, “The World and How to Pass Through It”, in Arthur Lloyd, transl., Seven Buddhist Sermons:
   • One thing more which the scientific man does is to accord primacy to that realm of truth which is primary in importance. 1922, Judson Eber Conant, “Truth Must be Classified Scientifically”, in The Church The Schools and Evolution:
   • At home in Moscow, Mikhail Sergeyevitch Gorbachev, who had launched a campaign to rejuvenate the Soviet realm […] 2006 November 22, Christian Neef, “Diary of a Collapsing Superpower”, in Spiegel Magazine:
   • In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. […] The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised. 2013 May 17, George Monbiot, “Money just makes the rich suffer”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 23, page 19:
   • the realm of corporate governance
   • the realm of physics
5. A primary zoogeographical division of the earth's surface.
6. A taxonomic rank in the phylogeny of viruses, higher than kingdoms.
7. (archaic) A region or zone forming part of a cosmological system.
8. A grouping of equally trusted computers managed together on a network.

Forms

Deriveds

floristic realm · Eastern Realm · coin of the realm · Ice Realm · realmlet · realmless · in the realm of shades · Schengen realm · interrealm · Commonwealth realm · realmlessness · Northern Realm · unrealmed · abjure the realm · realm of the dead · realm of possibility · Western Realm · Indomalayan realm · abstract realm · Southern Realm · Oriental realm · experience realm · realm of fantasy · hell realm · abjuration of the realm · underrealm · shadow realm · peer of the realm · custom of the realm · Snow Realm

Synonyms

country (a territory or state) · kingdom (a territory or state) · field (a sphere of activity or influence) · land (a territory or state) · province (a sphere of activity or influence)

Translations (134)

ar حَيِّز (sphere of influence) · es realme (disused) (territory or state) · fr domaine (domain of an abstraction) · nn rike (sphere of influence) · cy cyfoeth (sphere of influence) · mk сфера (sphere of influence) · nl sfeer (sphere of influence) · ru о́бласть (sphere of influence) · bg о́бласт (sphere of influence) · ka სამფლობელო (sphere of influence) · eo regno (territory or state) · eu alor (sphere of influence) · ko 왕국 (territory or state) · hu birodalom (territory or state) · it regno (territory or state) · nb rike (sphere of influence) · ar مَمْلَكَة (territory or state) · pl sfera (sphere of influence) · is ríki (sphere of influence) · es esfera (sphere of influence) · gl reino (territory or state) · sv sfär (sphere of influence) · de Kaiserreich (territory or state) · tg қаламрав (sphere of influence) · la rēgnum (territory or state) · uk сфе́ра (sphere of influence) · nb rike (territory or state) · cmn 域 (sphere of influence) · kk әмірлік (territory or state) · pt reino (sphere of influence) · it sfera (sphere of influence) · ja 王国 (territory or state) · eu erreinu (territory or state) · el σφαίρα (sphere of influence) · uk королі́вство (territory or state) · yi מלכות (territory or state) · pl domena (domain of an abstraction) · nl wereld (sphere of influence) · cmn 王國 /王国 (territory or state) · is veldi (sphere of influence) · uk о́бласть (sphere of influence) · ga flaitheas (territory or state) · nah hueyitlahtohcayotl (territory or state) · kk аймақ (sphere of influence) · bg сфе́ра на де́йствие (sphere of influence) · it regno (sphere of influence) · cy cyfoethau (sphere of influence) · ca domini (domain of an abstraction) · syc ܡܠܟܘܬܐ (sphere of influence) · it ambito (sphere of influence) · cmn 領域 /领域 (domain of an abstraction) · pt campo (sphere of influence) · he מַמְלָכָה (territory or state) · el κράτος (territory or state) · ru сфе́ра (sphere of influence) · fa-ira مُلْک (territory or state) · fi vaikutuspiiri (sphere of influence) · kk корольдік (territory or state) · mk царство (territory or state) · ang rīċe (territory or state) · de Reich (territory or state) · te రాజ్యం (territory or state) · it dominio (domain of an abstraction) · es reino (territory or state) · cmn 領域 /领域 (territory or state) · ru доме́н (domain of an abstraction) · nl rijk (domain of an abstraction) · fr royaume (territory or state) · ko 영역 (territory or state) · kxd alam (sphere of influence) · gl ámbito (sphere of influence) · mk домен (domain of an abstraction) · ur مُلْک (territory or state) · nn sfære (sphere of influence) · ang cynedōm (territory or state) · prg rīki (territory or state) · nl rijk (sphere of influence) · cy cyfoeth (territory or state) · nl koninkrijk (territory or state) · it dominio (sphere of influence) · fi kuningaskunta (territory or state) · it reame (sphere of influence) · ka სამფლობელო (domain of an abstraction) · pl królestwo (territory or state) · tg мулк (territory or state) · nl rijk (territory or state) · ka სამფლობელო (territory or state) · ja 領域 (territory or state) · sv rike (territory or state) · nb sfære (sphere of influence) · nl domein (domain of an abstraction) · se riika (territory or state) · kk патшалық (territory or state) · cs říše (territory or state) · fi piiri (domain of an abstraction) · bg кра́лство (territory or state) · cy cyfoethau (territory or state) · be карале́ўства (territory or state) · ko 령역 (territory or state) · id ranah (domain of an abstraction) · ka სამეფო (territory or state) · pt domínio (sphere of influence) · hy թագավորություն (territory or state) · it reame (territory or state) · el βασίλειο (territory or state) · de Königreich (territory or state) · uk ца́рство (territory or state) · id alam (sphere of influence) · egy tA:N23*Z1 (territory or state) · da rige (territory or state) · fi valtakunta (territory or state) · ar مُلْك (territory or state) · eu erresuma (territory or state) · nn rike (territory or state) · pt reino (territory or state) · he תְּחוּם (sphere of influence) · is ríki (territory or state) · be ца́рства (territory or state) · da sfære (sphere of influence) · mn вант улс (territory or state) · eu arlo (sphere of influence) · ka სფერო (sphere of influence) · sk ríša (territory or state) · fa-ira قَلَمْرُوْ (sphere of influence) · mi rangatiratanga (territory or state) · fi alue (domain of an abstraction) · ms alam (sphere of influence) · mk област (sphere of influence) · enm seignurie (territory or state) · pt âmbito (sphere of influence) · ru короле́вство (territory or state) · mk кралство (territory or state) · ru ца́рство (territory or state) · bg ца́рство (territory or state)