Becoming aware of or understanding something, or making something real or actual by achieving it.
From French 'réaliser,' based on Latin 'realis' meaning 'relating to things' or 'actual.' The word combines 're-' (thoroughly) and 'alis' (real), meaning 'to make real' or 'to make actual.' The meaning of understanding something evolved from the sense of making abstract concepts real in the mind.
Fascinatingly, 'realize' has two meanings—understanding something (making it real in your mind) and achieving it (making it real in the world). Both meanings come from the same root: making the abstract concrete!
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