dictionary definitions for "royal"


From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:

  royal
      adj 1: of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed
             by a king or queen or other monarch; "the royal party";
             "the royal crest"; "by royal decree"; "a royal visit"
      2: established or chartered or authorized by royalty; "the Royal
         Society"
      3: being of the rank of a monarch; "of royal ancestry"; "princes
         of the blood royal"
      4: belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler; "golden age of
         imperial splendor"; "purple tyrant"; "regal attire"; "treated
         with royal acclaim"; "the royal carriage of a stag's head"
         [syn: imperial, majestic, purple, regal, royal]
      5: invested with royal power as symbolized by a crown; "the
         royal (or crowned) heads of Europe"
      n 1: a sail set next above the topgallant on a royal mast
      2: stag with antlers of 12 or more branches [syn: royal,
         royal stag]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Royal \Roy"al\, a. [OE. roial, riall, real, OF. roial. reial, F.
     royal, fr. L. regalis, fr. rex, regis, king. See Rich, and
     cf. regal, real a coin, Rial.]
     1. Kingly; pertaining to the crown or the sovereign; suitable
        for a king or queen; regal; as, royal power or
        prerogative; royal domains; the royal family; royal state.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Noble; generous; magnificent; princely.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio? --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Under the patronage of royality; holding a charter granted
        by the sovereign; as, the Royal Academy of Arts; the Royal
        Society.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Battle royal. See under Battle.
  
     Royal bay (Bot.), the classic laurel (Laurus nobilis.)
  
     Royal eagle. (Zool.) See Golden eagle, under Golden.
  
     Royal fern (Bot.), the handsome fern Osmunda regalis. See
        Osmund.
  
     Royal mast (Naut.), the mast next above the topgallant mast
        and usually the highest on a square-rigged vessel. The
        royal yard and royal sail are attached to the royal mast.
        
  
     Royal metal, an old name for gold.
  
     Royal palm (Bot.), a magnificent West Indian palm tree
        (Oreodoxa regia), lately discovered also in Florida.
  
     Royal pheasant. See Curassow.
  
     Royal purple, an intense violet color, verging toward blue.
        
  
     Royal tern (Zool.), a large, crested American tern ({Sterna
        maxima}).
  
     Royal tiger. (Zool.) See Tiger.
  
     Royal touch, the touching of a diseased person by the hand
        of a king, with the view of restoring to health; --
        formerly extensively practiced, particularly for the
        scrofula, or king's evil.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Kingly; regal; monarchical; imperial; kinglike;
          princely; august; majestic; superb; splendid;
          illustrious; noble; magnanimous.
          [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Royal \Roy"al\, n.
     1. Printing and writing papers of particular sizes. See under
        paper, n.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Naut.) A small sail immediately above the topgallant
        sail. --Totten.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.) One of the upper or distal branches of an antler,
        as the third and fourth tynes of the antlers of a stag.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Gun.) A small mortar.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. (Mil.) One of the soldiers of the first regiment of foot
        of the British army, formerly called the Royals, and
        supposed to be the oldest regular corps in Europe; -- now
        called the Royal Scots.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. An old English coin. See Rial.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. (Auction Bridge) A royal spade.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]


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