royalty

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noun roy·al·ty \ ˈrȯi(-ə)l-tē \

Definition of royalty

plural royalties

1 a :royal status or power :sovereignty

b :a right or perquisite of a sovereign (such as a percentage paid to the crown of gold or silver taken from mines)

2 :regal character or bearing :nobility

3 a :persons of royal lineage

b :a person of royal rank

how to address royalties
—George Santayana

c :an elite class

4 :a right of jurisdiction granted to an individual or corporation by a sovereign

5 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

See royalty defined for English-language learners

See royalty defined for kids

Examples of royalty in a Sentence

It was an honor and a privilege to dine with royalty.
On our wedding day, we were treated like royalty.

Recent Examples of royalty from the Web

The company would pay the military a royalty fee if the shot successfully goes to market.

— andy marso, kansascity, "Visiting NIH researcher says Zika vaccine coming soon," 29 Aug. 2017
Not far from one of these advertisements there was a memorabilia store in which another sportsman claiming royalty, the former baseball star Pete Rose, often sits.

— dan barry, New York Times, "Fleece of the Century," 27 Aug. 2017
Crowns, in sculptures, paintings, even on Marie's head, run through his work, reflecting his belief that he was descended from German royalty.

— jim higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Von Bruenchenhein's otherworldly art confirms his weird greatness," 24 Aug. 2017
French royalty also stayed there frequently, because of its convenient location.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Three Things to Know About the Louvre’s History," 10 Aug. 2017
Josh Brolin is practically Hollywood royalty thanks to his father (actor James Brolin) and his iconic role in The Goonies.

— tyler coates, Esquire, "Sam Shepard First Told Josh Brolin About the Movie That Changed His Career," 9 Aug. 2017
The bulk of her earnings — $54.7 million, to be precise — came from the Formation World Tour, Billboard reports, but the superstar also garnered impressive profits from record sales, streaming revenues, and publishing royalties.

— andrea park, Glamour, "Beyoncé Was the Highest-Earning Artist of 2016," 14 July 2017
That's why Microsoft is offering royalty-free access to its patents and sample source code, Smith wrote.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "Microsoft wants all of rural America to get high-speed broadband," 11 July 2017
Egyptian royalty perfumed their bodies with it; Greek women hung it by their beds to incite passion.

— dana oland, idahostatesman, "Artists create a new arts center on the Boise Bench, Eilen Jewell kicks off Stampede," 6 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'royalty.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of royalty

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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royalty Synonyms

Synonyms

augustness, kingliness, majesty, stateliness

Related Words

high-mindedness, magnanimity, nobility, nobleness; haughtiness, lordliness, pomposity, pompousness; dignity, poise; gloriousness, grandeur, grandness, greatness, impressiveness, magnificence, resplendence, resplendency, splendidness, splendor; class, elegance, grace

Near Antonyms

commoners, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, rank and file, unwashed

ROYALTY Defined for English Language Learners

royalty

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noun

Definition of royalty for English Language Learners

: members of a royal family
: an amount of money that is paid to the original creator of a product, book, or piece of music based on how many copies have been sold
: an amount of money that is paid by a mining or oil company to the owner of the land the company is using

ROYALTY Defined for Kids

royalty

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noun roy·al·ty \ ˈrȯi-əl-tē \

Definition of royalty for Students

plural royalties

1 :the status or power of a king or queen or his or her family

2 :members of the royal family of a king or queen

3 :a share of a product or profit (as of a mine) claimed by the owner for allowing another to use the property

4 :payment made to the owner of a patent or copyright for the use of it

Law Dictionary

royalty

noun roy·al·ty

legal Definition of royalty

plural royalties

1 :a right delegated (as to an individual or corporation) by a sovereign

2 a :a share of the profit or product reserved by the grantor especially of an oil or mineral lease — compare overriding royalty

b :a payment made to an author or composer for each copy of a work sold or to an inventor for each article sold under a patent

Learn More about royalty

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for royalty Spanish Central: Translation of royalty Nglish: Translation of royalty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of royalty for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about royalty

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Examples of royalty in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of royalty

royalty Synonyms

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ROYALTY Defined for English Language Learners

royalty

Definition of royalty for English Language Learners

ROYALTY Defined for Kids

royalty

Definition of royalty for Students

Law Dictionary

royalty

legal Definition of royalty

Learn More about royalty

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