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royal

royal

5 9.9
A small sail set high on a sailing ship's mast
  • noun
  • /ˈrɔɪəl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vela real
  • Set courses, royals and gallants!

Examples

  • Set royals.

  • Set the royals and the studding sails, Mr. Worf. Worf looks at him blankly for a moment.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Set royals!

  • The sailor adjusted the royal sail for better speed in the wind.

  • During the voyage, he learned how to set the royal sail properly.

  • The captain instructed the crew to replace the damaged royal sail before the storm.

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

Surface Forms

royal singular
royals plural

Etymology

Royal for the small sail above the topgallant comes from Latin regalis meaning 'king', because it sits at the very top of the mast. So the royal sail is the highest, most 'kingly' sail on a ship.