royal

[ roi-uhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a king, queen, or other sovereign:

   royal power; a royal palace.

2. descended from or related to a king or line of kings:

   a royal prince.

3. noting or having the rank of a king or queen.
4. established or chartered by or existing under the patronage of a sovereign:

   a royal society.

5. (initial capital letter) serving or subject to a king, queen, or other sovereign.
6. proceeding from or performed by a sovereign:

   a royal warrant.

7. appropriate to or befitting a sovereign; magnificent; stately:

   royal splendor.

   Synonyms: majestic

   Antonyms: servile

8. (usually initial capital letter) British. in the service of the monarch or of the Commonwealth:

   Royal Marines; Royal Air Force.

9. fine; excellent:

   in royal spirits.

10. Informal. extreme or persistent; unmitigated:

    a royal nuisance; a royal pain.

noun

1. Nautical. a sail set on a royal mast.
2. Informal. a royal person; member of the royalty.
3. Usually royals. Chiefly British. a member of England's royal family.
4. a size of printing paper, 20 × 25 inches (51 × 64 centimeters).
5. a size of writing paper, 19 × 24 inches (48 × 61 centimeters).
6. Numismatics. any of various former coins, as the real or ryal.

royal

/ ˈrɔɪəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or befitting a king, queen, or other monarch; regal
2. prenominal; often capital established, chartered by, under the patronage or in the service of royalty

   the Royal Society of St George

3. being a member of a royal family
4. above the usual or normal in standing, size, quality, etc
5. informal.
   unusually good or impressive; first-rate
6. nautical just above the topgallant (in the phrase royal mast )

noun

1. informal.
   sometimes capital a member of a royal family
2. Also calledroyal stag a stag with antlers having 12 or more branches
3. nautical a sail set next above the topgallant, on a royal mast
4. a size of printing paper, 20 by 25 inches
5. Also calledsmall royal a size of writing paper, 19 by 24 inches
6. any of various book sizes, esp 6 1 4 by 10 inches ( royal octavo ), 6 3 4 by 10 1 4 inches ( super royal octavo ), and (chiefly Brit) 10 by 12 1 2 inches ( royal quarto ) and 10 1 4 by 13 1 2 inches ( super royal quarto )

Derived Forms

• ˈroyally, adverb

Other Words From

• royal·ly adverb
• anti·royal adjective
• non·royal adjective
• non·royal·ly adverb
• pre·royal adjective
• pre·royal·ly adverb
• pseudo·royal adjective
• pseudo·royal·ly adverb
• quasi-royal adjective
• quasi-royal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of royal¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin rēgālis “kingly,” equivalent to rēg- (stem of rēx ) “king” + -ālis adjective suffix; regal ¹, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of royal¹

C14: from Old French roial , from Latin rēgālis , fit for a king, from rēx king; compare regal ¹

Synonym Study

See kingly.

Related Words

• aristocratic
• dignified
• illustrious
• imperial
• magnificent
• noble
• stately