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

Rooney says UK legislation may mean she cannot be paid royalties by her British publisher or the BBC because it could leave both at risk of being accused of funding terrorism.

Read more on BBC

For high earners, the 3.8% net investment-income tax applies to returns including interest, dividends, capital gains, rental and royalty income, and collectibles for certain individuals.

Read more on MarketWatch

US-based Downtown Music provides services to independent record labels and musicians, including managing copyright issues and helping artists collect royalties.

Read more on Barron's

And yet its inventor would only get to see a portion of the royalties after selling off some of the rights prematurely.

Read more on BBC

In its glamorous early years, it drew celebrities, models, merchants, generals, royalty and journalists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fee 
• payment 
• percentage 
• portion 
• share