the word 'surreal' is a 20th-century formation, directly borrowed from the french 'surréaliste', which was coined by the poet guillaume apollinaire around 1917. it combines the french prefix 'sur-' (meaning 'over, beyond', from latin 'super') with 'réaliste' ('realist', from latin 'realis'). the term was adopted and popularized by the surrealist art movement led by andré breton. the literal construction 'beyond real' perfectly captures the word's core meaning: an artistic and perceptual mode that seeks to transcend the rational, conscious world to express the workings of the subconscious mind, resulting in bizarre, dreamlike, or fantastical imagery and ideas.

Structure: sur (over, beyond) + real sur- (from latin 'super', meaning 'over, above, beyond'), real (from latin 'realis', meaning 'actual, relating to things')