An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. An inclination or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract or speculative.
   

2. Philo.: The doctrine that material objects exist independently of our perception of them.
   

3. Art, literature: The attempt to describe the objects or social conditions as they actually are, without idealization or presentation in abstract form.

See also: → real; → -ism.