royalty

[roi-uhl-tee]

noun

plural

royalties 

1. royal persons collectively.

2. royal status, dignity, or power; sovereignty.

   to be elevated to royalty.

3. a person of royal lineage; member of a royal family.

4. Archaic.,  royalties, prerogatives, rights, or symbolic emblems of a king, queen, or other sovereign.

5. a royal domain; kingdom; realm.

6. character or quality proper to or befitting a sovereign; nobility.

7. the most well-known and admired member or members of a particular field or category.

   Her parents are Hollywood royalty. The brand is royalty among champagnes.

8. a compensation or portion of the proceeds paid to the owner of a right, as a patent or oil or mineral right, for the use of it.

9. an agreed portion of the income from a work paid to its author, composer, etc., usually a percentage of the retail price of each copy sold.

10. a royal right, as over minerals, granted by a sovereign to a person or corporation.

11. the payment made for such a right.

royalty

/ ˈrɔɪəltɪ /

noun

1. the rank, power, or position of a king or queen

2. 1. royal persons collectively

   2. one who belongs to the royal family

3. any quality characteristic of a monarch; kingliness or regal dignity

4. a percentage of the revenue from the sale of a book, performance of a theatrical work, use of a patented invention or of land, etc, paid to the author, inventor, or proprietor

royalty

1. A payment made for some right or privilege, as when a publisher pays a royalty to an author for the author's granting the publisher the right to sell the author's book.

Other Word Forms

• nonroyalty noun
• preroyalty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of royalty¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English roialte, from Middle French, Old French roialté, derivative of roial; royal, -ty ²

Example Sentences

The comedian, who still lives in the city, waved like royalty at the joyful mass in Victoria Square as the "United States of Birmingham" flag was unfurled.

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Ever the promoter, he gains access to Ada’s journals, writes a book based on her observations and keeps the royalties.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The return of basketball royalty to China is intended to reverse that trend.

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Janssen Biotech develops, manufactures and commercializes the drug in exchange for royalty payments.

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First, there’s the 3.8% net investment-income tax, a tax that applies to returns including interest, dividends, capital gains, rental and royalty income.

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Related Words

• fee 
• payment 
• percentage 
• portion 
• share