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

While animal sacrifice is a real part of some ceremonies, the media’s obsession with this particular practice has created a distorted picture that reduces an entire spiritual system to a single, sensationalized act.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 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

I talk a lot about geographic equality problems because I think they're a real part of the problems of our system, and they don't get that much attention.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2023

“That’s what this book is about — how to create a yard that is a real part of the natural world. The kind of yard where, if you look closely, something is moving.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 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