real part

American  

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

Mathematics.

1. the number a in the complex number a + bi.

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real part British  

noun

1. the term a in a complex number a + i b , where i = √–1

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Etymology

Origin of real part

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“Somehow Christmas music brings comfort and I think that’s a real part of it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

Yet, much like the entire $7.2 trillion federal budget, it is a bit of a phantasm—part real, part fantasy, part nightmare, not likely to materialize in life, except as a warped caricature of itself.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2024

This season was so much about trauma, which is a word that has become a real part of the cultural conversation over the last few years.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2024

"I am happy that I can bring something here and become a tax payer here. I feel like a real part of this Glasgow community," she added.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2023

I know now that it was the sense of being a real part of a mass of my own kind, for the first time.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey