I. -ˈrā, -ˈrē adverb
or in re·bus -ˈrābəs, -ˈrēb-
Etymology: in re from Latin, in the thing; in rebus from Latin, in the things
1. : in the individual : in the particular existing thing
many metaphysicians hold that universals exist in re
— see avicennism ; compare realism
2. : in something existing outside the mind
3. : in the real world
II. preposition
Etymology: Latin
: in the matter of : concerning , re — often used in the title or name of a case where the proceeding is in rem or quasi in rem and not in personam (as in a matter involving a probate or bankrupt estate, a guardianship, or an application for laying out a public highway) and occasionally in the title or name of an ex parte proceeding (as in an application for a writ of habeas corpus)