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A realm is a community or territory over which a
"Realm" is particularly used for those states whose name includes the word ''kingdom'' (for example, the United Kingdom), as elegant variation, to avoid clumsy repetition of the word in a sentence (for example, "The King's realm, the United Kingdom..."). It is also useful to describe those countries whose monarchs are called something other than "king" or "queen"; for example, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a realm but not a kingdom, since its monarch holds the title Grand Duke rather than King.
The term may commonly be used to describe any of the "
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
.
Etymology
The Old French word ''reaume'', modern French ''royaume'', was the word first adopted in English; the fixed modern spelling does not appear until the beginning of the 17th century. The word supposedly derives from medieval Latin ''regalimen'', from ''regalis'', of or belonging to a ''rex'' (king). The word ''rex'' itself is derived from the Latin verb ''regere'', which means "to rule". Thus the literal meaning of the word ''realm'' is "the territory of a ruler", traditionally a monarch (emperor, king, grand duke, prince, etc.).Usage
"Realm" is particularly used for those states whose name includes the word ''kingdom'' (for example, the United Kingdom), as elegant variation, to avoid clumsy repetition of the word in a sentence (for example, "The King's realm, the United Kingdom..."). It is also useful to describe those countries whose monarchs are called something other than "king" or "queen"; for example, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a realm but not a kingdom, since its monarch holds the title Grand Duke rather than King.
The term may commonly be used to describe any of the "Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s", which are kingdoms in their own right and share the same person as monarch, though they are fully independent of each other.
More broadly, a "realm" may encompass territories that are subject to a monarch, yet are not a physical part of his or her "kingdom"; for example, the Cook Islands and Niue are considered parts of the Realm of New Zealand, although they are not part of New Zealand proper.
Realm may also be used metaphorically to refer to an area of knowledge, expertise or habitat within which an individual or denizen Denizen may refer to:
* An inhabitant of a place
* ''Denizen'' (film), a 2010 feature film directed, written and produced by J.A. Steel
* ''Denizen'' (video game), a computer game published by Players Software in 1988
* Denizen, a brand of the c ...
is pre-eminent or dominant, e.g., "Shakespeare's realm was English drama," or "A lion's realm is the jungle".
See also
* Biogeographic realm, a concept in biogeography * Empire * Kingdom * '' Reich'', the German word for "realm"References
{{Authority control __NOTOC__ Monarchy