Main Entry:

roy·al·ty

Pronunciation:

\ˈrȯi(-ə)l-tē\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural roy·al·ties

Etymology:

Middle English roialte, from Anglo-French realté, roialté, from real

Date:

14th century

1 a: royal status or power : sovereignty b: a right or perquisite of a sovereign (as a percentage paid to the crown of gold or silver taken from mines)2: regal character or bearing : nobility3 a: persons of royal lineage b: a person of royal rank <how to address royalties — George Santayana> c: an elite class4: a right of jurisdiction granted to an individual or corporation by a sovereign5 a: a share of the product or profit reserved by the grantor especially of an oil or mining lease b: a payment to an author or composer for each copy of a work sold or to an inventor for each item sold under a patent