ˈrȯi(ə)ltē, ˈrȯ(i)yəl-, -ti noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English roialte, from Middle French roialté, from Old French, from roial royal (from Latin regalis ) + -té -ty — more at royal
1.
a. : royal status or power : sovereignty
gain royalty by conquest
b. royalties plural , archaic
(1) : the prerogatives of sovereignty
assume these royalties, and not refuse to reign — John Milton
(2) : emblems of sovereignty
royalties which he was wont to adorn himself with when he sat in state — Benjamin Church
c. archaic : kingdom , realm
republics were formed upon the ruin of … royalties — Thomas Carte
2.
a. obsolete : splendid appearance : glory , magnificence
b. : regal character or bearing : majesty , nobility
happiness depends upon the inward royalty of the spirit — W.F.Hambly
3.
a.
(1) : persons of royal lineage
marriage customs among the royalty of the Peruvian Inca — Weston La Barre
(2) : an embodiment of sovereignty
she was royalty and a symbol of the British Empire — United Press
b. : a person of royal rank
the crowd hangs about … in the hope of seeing a royalty or a raja's jewels — Manchester Guardian Weekly
how to address royalties and persons possessing complicated titles — George Santayana
c. : a privileged class
the twenty-five hundred a year that marked the economic royalty of Gopher Prairie — Sinclair Lewis
4.
a. : a right delegated (as to an individual or corporation) by a sovereign
the royalty is vested in the lord of the manor — M.C.Greenwell
b. : a landed estate or right of exploitation granted by a sovereign — usually used in plural
landed proprietors … became anxious to lease their royalties — F.S.Williams
c. Scots law : a township or territory subject to royal jurisdiction
d. Britain : a tract of coal-mining land or a portion thereof
5.
a. : a seigniorage on gold and silver coined at the mint
b. : a percentage paid to the British crown of gold or silver taken from mines or a tax exacted in lieu thereof
c. : a share of the product or profit of property reserved by the owner when the property is sold, leased, or used or a payment (as a percentage of the amount of property used) to the owner for permitting another to exploit, use, or market such property (as natural resources, patents, or copyrights) which is often subject to depletion with use
6. : bonus 4b