# royal

Pronunciation: say "ROY-uhl" US /ˈɹɔɪ(.ə)l/, UK /ˈɹɔɪ.əl/

## Adjective

1. Belonging to or connected with a monarch or members of the monarch's family.
   - Simple: Belonging to or connected with a king, queen, or their family.
   - _The royal procession moved slowly through the crowded city streets._
   - _Parliament approved the royal household's budget for the coming year._
3. Having the grandeur or bearing of a monarch; splendid, magnificent, or greater than common in size or excellence.
   - Simple: Grand and impressive, like a king or queen, or larger and finer than usual.
   - _The champion received a royal welcome from thousands of cheering fans._
   - _He treated his guests to a royal banquet that lasted late into the night._
5. Used to strengthen another term, emphasizing how complete or extreme something is. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Used before a word to make it stronger, often meaning complete or total.
   - _The whole trip turned into a royal disaster after the car broke down._
   - _She was in a royal temper when she heard about the last-minute change._
4. Describing a contest or fight that is a free-for-all, especially one involving many combatants at the same time.
   - Simple: Involving many fighters all at once, in a contest where everyone fights everyone.
   - _The promotion's main event was a battle royal featuring thirty competitors._
   - _Once the cavalry broke through both lines, the skirmish turned into a battle royal across the whole field._

## Noun

2. A member of a monarch's family, or a person of royal rank. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A member of a monarch's family, or a person with royal rank.
   - _A young royal cut the ribbon at the new hospital wing._
   - _The tabloids follow nearly every move the royals make._

## Noun

6. The proposed name for Australia's decimal currency in 1966, replaced by dollar before any was circulated. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A name once planned for Australia's new money in 1966, but changed to dollar before it was used.
   - _The Reserve Bank printed trial notes in royals before the name was dropped in 1963._
   - _A single royal would have been worth ten shillings under the proposed scheme._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Designating a game piece whose checkmate, or capture in some variants, loses the game, as with the king in chess.
- (noun) A traditional standard size of paper, about 25 by 20 inches for printing paper and 24 by 19 inches for writing paper.
- (noun) Any of various butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
- (noun) A stag whose antlers carry twelve points in all, six on each side.
- (noun) The fourth tine growing along the main beam of an antler.
- (adjective) In large sailing ships, designating the mast positioned just above the topgallant mast, and the sails it carries.
- (noun) A square sail set immediately above the topgallant sail on a large sailing ship.
- (noun) A gold coin once used in England, known also as the rial.
- (noun) In auction bridge, a spade played as the highest-scoring suit.
- (noun) A small type of mortar, a short-barreled weapon that lobs shells in a high arc.
- (noun) A small tuft of beard worn on the chin just below the lower lip.
- (noun) In change ringing, a sequence of changes rung on ten bells.

## Origin

From Middle English royal, from Old French roial, from Latin rēgālis, from rēx ("king"). It is a doublet of regal, real, ariary, and riyal, and it replaced the native Old English cynelīċ.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/royal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).