Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A community or territory over which a sovereign rules; a kingdom.
  • noun An area or sphere, as of knowledge or activity: synonym: field.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A royal jurisdiction or extent of government; a king's dominions; a kingdom.
  • noun Figuratively, a jurisdiction or domain in general; a sphere of power, influence, or operation; province; arena.
  • noun In zoögeog., a prime division of the earth's surface; a faunal area of the largest extent; a zoölogical region of the first order.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A royal jurisdiction or domain; a region which is under the dominion of a king; a kingdom.
  • noun Hence, in general, province; region; country; domain; department; division.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An abstract sphere of influence, real or imagined.
  • noun The domain of a certain abstraction.
  • noun A territory or state, as ruled by a specific power, and particularly those territories ruled by a king.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a domain in which something is dominant
  • noun the domain ruled by a king or queen
  • noun a knowledge domain that you are interested in or are communicating about

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English realme, from Old French, alteration (influenced by Old French reial, royal) of Latin regimen, government, from regere, to rule; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old French reaume, realme ("kingdom"), of unclear origins. A postulated *rēgālimen, Late Latin cross of regimen with rēgālis is usually cited.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word realm.

Examples

  • It is the realm of _psychical life_; and, still more decidedly and more evidently, the _realm of mind_.

    The Theories of Darwin and Their Relation to Philosophy, Religion, and Morality Rudolf Schmid

  • A series of recent mind-bending laboratory experiments has given scientists an unprecedented peek behind the quantum veil, confirming that this realm is as mysterious as imagined.

    Thor's Day kschap 2009

  • In one, the seams are sealed so tight that they are imperceptible; the realm is a closed system, without portals or rifts; it has no contact with any other realms; there is no crosshatching between alternative (i.e. temporal) elsewhens or palimpsesting of alterior (i.e. nomological) elsewhens; everything takes place within that realm.

    Notes on Strange Fiction: Seams Hal Duncan 2008

  • In one, the seams are sealed so tight that they are imperceptible; the realm is a closed system, without portals or rifts; it has no contact with any other realms; there is no crosshatching between alternative (i.e. temporal) elsewhens or palimpsesting of alterior (i.e. nomological) elsewhens; everything takes place within that realm.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Hal Duncan 2008

  • The subconscious never sleeps and this realm is a vast resource for a writer.

    Hypnosis for Writer’s Block « Write Anything 2008

  • And in his pursuit of truth, he ventured beyond science and religion to what he called the realm of mysticism.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • And in his pursuit of truth, he ventured beyond science and religion to what he called the realm of mysticism.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • And in his pursuit of truth, he ventured beyond science and religion to what he called the realm of mysticism.

    Savage Peace Ann Hagedorn 2007

  • And to actually go to what we call a realm, because the queen is head of state of New Zealand and to undertake engagements on behalf of her is the first step in his grooming for kingship.

    CNN Transcript Jun 21, 2005 2005

  • These four adjectives, cosmic, universal, material, and infinite are almost interchangeable, and apply, as we see, to that realm of the non-individual existence which we call the realm of the substantial death.

    Fantasia of the Unconscious 1907

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • You slept better in a sleeping train in a shed in a station

    With a torch and a Woman's Realm to keep you warm,

    To keep you company.

    (Women's realm, by Belle and Sebastian)

    September 16, 2008