Definition of ROYALTY

royalty

Meanings

Plural: royalties

Noun

  • payment to the holder of a patent or copyright or resource for the right to use their property
  • royal persons collectively
    • "the wedding was attended by royalty"
  • The rank, status, power or authority of a monarch.
  • People of royal rank, plus their families, treated as a group.
  • A royal right or prerogative, such as the exploitation of a natural resource; the granting of such a right; payment received for such a right.
  • The payment received by an owner of real property for exploitation of mineral rights in the property.
  • Payment made to a writer, composer, inventor etc for the sale or use of intellectual property, invention etc.
  • To 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.
  • Someone in a privileged position.
  • A king and a queen as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.
  • The bounds of a royal burgh.

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

royal family, royal house, royal line

Scrabble Score: 13

royalty is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
royalty is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
royalty is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

royalty is a valid Words With Friends word