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royal

royal

195 4.4
Officially given by a king or queen to an organization
  • adjective
  • /ˈrɔɪəl/
  • Formal
translation icon : real
  • A founding member of the Royal Society, he emphasized the practical uses of science.
  • the Royal Society
  • the Royal College of Physicians
  • a Royal Proclamation

So the the members of the Royal Society were mostly bachelors.

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Examples

  • I'm not going to the Royal Court, am I, Mother?

  • You will address me as "Your Royal Highness"

  • One need not be a member of the Royal Society to use these instruments.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Promise please to your Highness to grace us with your royal company.

  • - Balmoral is the Royal Family holiday home.

  • The ship would be named Peacemaker and bear her royal seal.

  • The man's related to the royal family, for goodness' sake.

  • All candidates attend the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, which does not grant university degrees.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Charles has a welcoming treat: tickets for the Royal Shakespeare Company's Midsummer Night's Dream at the Barbican.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The royal family attended the charity event to support local initiatives.

Idioms

Special care and service for a person, like a king or queen

Compounds

61 1.8

Close relatives of a king or queen who rules a country

royal pain
  • Offensive
8 8.0

A very annoying person or thing that causes trouble

5 5.7

A London group that promotes painting, sculpture, and architecture

5 4.1

A group of people who serve and advise a king or queen, like family and nobles

4 5.3

A poker hand with ace, king, queen, jack and ten all in one suit

Canada's national police force that enforces federal laws across the country

4 5.6

An independent society in the United Kingdom that supports excellent scientific work

4 3.1

A deep blue color with a purple tint

3 3.5

The United Kingdom's military force that uses planes

2 4.7

A family of kings and queens who rule a country now or in the past

royal jelly
  • Specialized
2 6.8

A creamy food made by worker bees and fed to bee larvae and the queen

1 4.9

A family of kings and queens who are related by birth

battle royal
  • Informal
1 7.0

A noisy fight involving many people in one place

royal we
  • Formal
1 9.9

One person uses we, often a ruler, to sound formal

royal yard
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A long horizontal pole high on a sailing ship mast that holds the highest sail

1 8.1

An official document from a king or queen that gives rights to an organization

1 5.6

A tall palm tree with long feathery leaves and a smooth straight trunk

1 4.2

A deep purple color with a red tone used to show wealth or power

battle royal
  • Jargon
4.8

A game type where many players or teams fight until only one remains

A drink of strong coffee with Cognac, lemon peel and sugar

Title given to the oldest daughter of a British king or queen

rhyme royal
  • Literature
9.9

A group of seven lines in a poem with the rhyme pattern ababbcc

royal velvet plant
  • Australian
9.3

A tropical plant with soft purple, velvety leaves that people grow indoors

An art organisation in London that promotes painting, sculpture and architecture

royal agaric
  • Specialized
8.4

An edible mushroom that looks like the fly agaric but is safe to eat

royal fern
  • Specialized
6.0

A plant with large upright feather-like leaves that grows in wet, shady places

royal brace
  • Archaic
9.9

A rope that holds or controls the top part of a ship's mast

A card game like casino where face cards score extra points

7.5

A public ceremony where people put a crown on a king or queen

royal mast
  • Archaic
9.9

A small mast that stands above the top sails on old sailing ships

royal road
  • Informal
7.0

An easy way to reach success or a goal

An important English society that supports scientists and promotes science

royal stag
  • Archaic
9.2

A male deer with antlers that have twelve or more points seen as special

royal tennis
  • Archaic
9.9

An old indoor game like tennis that uses a court with four walls

A Welsh festival with competitions in music, drama, poetry, and the arts

royal osmund
  • Specialized
9.5

A large fern with feather-like leaves that grows in moist shady places

A tropical tree with wide branches and bright red flowers

How Official

royal
  • Formal
195 4.4
recognized
  • Formal
3.5
informal
98 3.1

Surface Forms

royal positive
royaler comparative
royalest superlative

Etymology

Royal used for organizations comes from the idea of being given by a king or queen and the Latin regalis meaning 'king'. So when a group is called Royal, it was once set up or officially approved by the king or queen.