Real Estate

[psyphi]

Why is 'Real' Estate called 'Real' Estate, not just 'Estate'

[Quizmonster]

The term has been used for about 300 years. The 'real' part is not directly connected with actuality or non-artificiality...it is the adjective form from the Latin word 'res', meaning 'thing/object'. (Teachers nowadays often speak of using 'realia', that is, actual objects which they use in class as teaching aids; that is the same sort of sense in noun form.) So, real estate originally meant things that had been left in a will.

[psyphi]

I love that! Thanks Quizmonster, you are a legend!

[vittoria]

I would like to add something: real in law refers to land. Real property is only land. Anything else is personal property; strictly speaking, even a leasehold interest (a flat) is personal property. So I think that real estate originally meant "land" left in a will.

[Quizmonster]

Vittoria may well be right in terms of modern legal parlance, but - after seeing her response and to check my earlier answer - I went to a historical etymological dictionary where I got the following (quote):

"The phrase 'real estate' is first recorded in 1666 and retains the oldest English sense of the word, from 1448, meaning 'relating to things' (esp. property), from O.Fr. reel, from L.L. realis "actual," from L. res 'matter, thing'."

I think the only confusion here is the way in which we use the word 'property' to mean 'stuff we own' as well as 'land'.

[Maude]

Vittoria is right. Since time immemoriable the terms real estate and real property have meant freehold land. Your wretched psychedelic dictionary and its dates is up the creek, QM. Get your money back.

[FIirty41]

"Immemoriable". Et tu Maude.

[Quizmonster]

As I understood it, Maude, the questioner was enquiring as to where the word 'real' had come from in the relevant phrase and that's what I answered...basically from Latin for 'of things'. I wasn't trying to get involved in some sort of dispute over legalistic terminology...I'm no lawyer, thank the Lord!

(Far from my getting my money back, I think you would be very wise to invest the same amount and acquire the same dictionary. It tells one, for example, that the earliest use of the phrase 'time immemorial' itself dates back only to 1602!)

And I'll leave it at that.

[Maude]

I can in fact spell, S****horpe, but after my (purely medicinal) glass of scotch on a Friday night my typing fingers become wildly irresponsible. With regard to your goodself, QM, you have become much too serious. Take yourself off to Jinty McGinty's and spend the rest of your pension on Oiragh behind the bar. She says you have become quite mean of late and would love to go on another booze cruise day to France with you.

[Maude]

Oh Lordy, Lordy, I've inadvertantly fallen for some sort of profanity trick. Have a good laugh whoever you are.

[Quizmonster]

Dearest Maude, Strangely enough I actually am going on a booze-cruise a week on Thursday, so how perspicacious of you! A young lady friend will be in (close) attendance, albeit not Oiragh. Sadly, I haven't been in Jinty McGinty's for about ten months, but that has in no way affected my liquid-consumption.

Re my claimed 'seriousness', I was accused by someone else here only the other day of becoming humorous...one just can't win!

[Maude]

Best wishes for a very happy day out, QM. Hope this dull drizzly weather has moved along by then.

[Quizmonster]

Cheers!