Click here to browse our Real Estate Agent Directory and contact top-rated agents in your area! So you want to know the origin story of real estate, its definition, and its etymology. You’ve come to the right place! In the article you’re about to read, I’ll break down the real estate meaning, where it comes from, and why it’s called real estate to begin with. What is the Real Estate Meaning? Before we get into real estate’s meaning, let’s see the context of the word’s etymology. Real estate became a legal term to identify a royal grant of estate land. The term “real estate” is first recorded in the 1660s, so we find its etymological origins in Early Modern English. The word “real” is derived from Latin, meaning existing, actual, or genuine. The word “estate” is an English translation of the Old French word “estat,” meaning status. Now, estate is … Continued