Meanings
royalty1
plural royalties
- countableuncountablePeople of royal rank, plus their families, treated as a group.
Wolferton was an important station on the Kings Lynn-Hunstanton line, which closed in 1969. As the station was convenient for the Sandringham estate, it was regularly patronised by royalty, and royal retiring rooms were provided.
2022 December 14, Robin Leleux, “A royal occasion as heritage projects honoured: Wolferton”, in RAIL, number 972, page 61 - countableuncountableA royal right or prerogative, such as the exploitation of a natural resource; the granting of such a right; payment received for such a right.
- countableuncountableThe payment received by an owner of real property for exploitation of mineral rights in the property.
- countableuncountableauthorshipTo make more money from a book than it cost to run an advertising campaign for it; to make enough in royalties to cover the advance a book received.
Until the total of advances in that contract has been earned out by royalties from any or all books in that contract, the author will not receive additional royalties.
2014, Richard Curtis, Mastering the Business of Writing - countablefigurativelyuncountableSomeone in a privileged position.
The Biden large-donor scene, where Mr. Katzenberg is treated as royalty himself, has been devastated since Mr. Biden’s debate performance two weeks ago.
2024 July 11, Theodore Schleifer, Jacob Bernstein, Reid J. Epstein, “How Biden Lost George Clooney and Hollywood”, in The New York Times, →ISSN1 more example
England will have another manager for the next World Cup, Hodgson’s reign will be defined by a result comparable to losing to the United States in the 1950 World Cup and the now-familiar inquest will begin again in a country that likes to see itself as football royalty.
2016 June 27, Daniel Taylor, “England humiliated as Iceland knock them out of Euro 2016”, in The Guardian, London - countableslanguncountablecard gamesA king and a queen as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.
- ScotlandcountablehistoricaluncountableThe bounds of a royal burgh.
Royalty2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinrēgālis
- Vulgar Latin*rēgālitās
- Old Frenchroialté
- Middle Englishroyaltee
- Englishroyalty
From Middle English royaltee, roialtee, royalte, from Old French roialté, roiauté, realté (compare earlier Old French realted (“realm, kingdom”)), from Vulgar Latin *rēgālitās, from Latin rēgālis, equivalent to royal + -ty. Doublet of regality.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَلَكِيَّة
- مَلَكِيَّة (malakiyya)rank, status, etc. of a monarch
Catalan reialesa, drets d'autor
- reialesarank, status, etc. of a monarch
- drets d'autorpayment made to owner of intellectual property
Chinese Mandarin 皇族, 王族
- 皇族 (huángzú)monarch and their families treated as a group
- 王族 (wángzú)monarch and their families treated as a group
Czech honorář
- honorářpayment made to owner of intellectual property
Danish royalty
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Finnish kuninkuus, kuningasperhe
- kuninkuusrank, status, etc. of a monarch
- kuningasperhemonarch and their families treated as a group
- rojaltipayment for exploiting mineral rights
- tekijänoikeuskorvauspayment made to owner of intellectual property
- rojaltipayment made to owner of intellectual property
French règne, royalty
- règnerank, status, etc. of a monarch
- royaltypayment for exploiting mineral rights
- redevancepayment for exploiting mineral rights
- droit d'auteurpayment made to owner of intellectual property
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
German Nutzungsgebühr, Tantieme
- Nutzungsgebührpayment for exploiting mineral rights
- Tantiemepayment made to owner of intellectual property
- Royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Greek βασιλεία, πνευματικά δικαιώματα
- βασιλεία (vasileía)monarch and their families treated as a group
- πνευματικά δικαιώματα (pnevmatiká dikaiómata)payment for exploiting mineral rights
Hebrew מַלְכוּת, מלוכה
- מַלְכוּת (malchút)rank, status, etc. of a monarch
- מלוכה (meluchá)rank, status, etc. of a monarch
- מלוכהmonarch and their families treated as a group
Hungarian tiszteletdíj
- tiszteletdíjpayment made to owner of intellectual property
Indonesian royalti, royalti
- royaltipayment for exploiting mineral rights
- royaltipayment made to owner of intellectual property
Irish dleacht
- dleachtpayment made to owner of intellectual property
Italian diritto d'autore, royalty
- diritto d'autorepayment made to owner of intellectual property
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Japanese 皇族, 王族
- 皇族 (kōzoku)monarch and their families treated as a group
- 王族 (ōzoku)monarch and their families treated as a group
- 印税 (inzei)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- 特許使用料 (tokkyo shiyōryō)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- ロイヤリティ (roiyariti)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- ロイヤリティー (roiyaritī)payment made to owner of intellectual property
Korean 황족, 인세
- 황족 (hwangjok)monarch and their families treated as a group
- 인세 (inse)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- 저작권 사용료 (jeojakgwon sayongnyo)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- 실시료 (silsiryo)payment made to owner of intellectual property
- 로열티 (royeolti)payment made to owner of intellectual property
Māori tiringa
- tiringapayment made to owner of intellectual property
Norwegian Bokmål royalty
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Polish królewskość, tantiema
- królewskośćrank, status, etc. of a monarch
- tantiemapayment made to owner of intellectual property
Portuguese realeza, realeza
- realezarank, status, etc. of a monarch
- realezamonarch and their families treated as a group
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Romanian regalitate, regalitate
- regalitaterank, status, etc. of a monarch
- regalitatemonarch and their families treated as a group
- monarhiemonarch and their families treated as a group
Russian ца́рственность, вели́чие
- ца́рственность (cárstvennostʹ)rank, status, etc. of a monarch
- вели́чие (velíčije)rank, status, etc. of a monarch
- короле́вская семья́ (korolévskaja semʹjá)monarch and their families treated as a group
- член короле́вской семьи́ (člen korolévskoj semʹí)monarch and their families treated as a group
- ро́ялти (rójalti)payment for exploiting mineral rights
Spanish realeza, regalía
- realezarank, status, etc. of a monarch
- regalíapayment made to owner of intellectual property
- derechos de autorpayment made to owner of intellectual property
- royaltypayment made to owner of intellectual property
Swedish kunglighet
- kunglighetmonarch and their families treated as a group
Vietnamese vương quyền, hoàng tộc
- vương quyềnmonarch and their families treated as a group
- hoàng tộcmonarch and their families treated as a group
Welsh brenhindod, brenhiniaeth
- brenhindodrank, status, etc. of a monarch
- brenhiniaethrank, status, etc. of a monarch
- brenhindodmonarch and their families treated as a group
- breindalpayment for exploiting mineral rights
- breindalpayment made to owner of intellectual property
Cite this entry
royalty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royalty
“royalty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royalty. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “royalty,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/royalty.
Source: royalty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.